Join Nest and Good Business Lab

Nest and Good Business Lab invite you to join an important side-session conversation at the OECD Forum on due diligence in the garment and footwear supply chain focused on transparency as a tool for worker voice, wellbeing, and gender inclusion. 

With global discussions of racial justice, economic inclusion, and gender equity driving industry-wide change, worker voice is more important than ever. This multi-stakeholder discussion will address the challenges workers face at multiple levels of the supply chain and will present effective solutions that use transparency, technology, and stronger brand-supplier relationships to improve worker engagement. 

_________

Nest is a nonprofit supporting the responsible growth and creative engagement of the artisan & maker economy to build a world of greater gender equity and economic inclusion. Through programs that support the wellbeing of artisans both in the United States and globally, Nest is bringing radical transparency and opportunity to the informal handworker economy.

Good Business Lab's mission is to lead businesses to improve the lives of all workers. They do this by identifying workers’ needs, designing solutions, testing for wellbeing impact and financial returns, and driving the adoption of proven solutions.

_________

Speakers

Dr. Anant Nyshadham

Dr. Anant Nyshadham is an Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business of the University of Michigan and a Faculty Research Fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is also the co-founder of Good Business Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated to using rigorous research to find a common ground between worker wellbeing and business interests, with active projects in India, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. He has worked with private sector partners in the garment industry for nearly a decade, implementing randomized controlled trials within real firm environments.

Chithra Prasad

Chithra Prasad is the General Manager of Organizational Development at Shahi Exports, India’s largest apparel manufacturer employing over 100,000 people, 70% of whom are women. She has over 18 years of experience in Human Resource Management in the apparel industry. At Shahi, Chitra has been leading several programs on worker’s rights and wellbeing, including physical and psychological health, support to migrant workers, and setting up robust grievance redressal mechanisms. Her role has been instrumental in developing, sustaining, and scaling-up several programs on women’s advancement in collaboration with the industry stakeholders, including Brands, Unions, National and International NGOs, and various Government organizations.

Adrian Sherman

Adrian has worked for over 20 years in traditional supply chain and logistics to sourcing operations to corporate responsibility. As Vice President at The Children’s Place, he is accountable for the development and evolution of the company’s Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. He drives global alignment and development of programs covering factory labor practices, worker empowerment and environmental sustainability.
Prior to joining The Children’s Place, Adrian was engaged for over 11 years at Williams-Sonoma in San Francisco and in Singapore, directing international supply chain and corporate responsibility and positioning corporate responsibility as a driver of business goals.
He brings a unique and holistic perspective in developing high performing, responsible value chains for major brands and retailers.
Adrian received his BA in Business Administration from the University of Washington.

Sara Otto

Sara Otto is Senior Director of Compliance and European Lead at Nest where she has been instrumental in the development and implementation of Nest’s Ethical Handcraft Program, as well as Nest’s other compliance-related projects which aim to address common challenges faced by informal workers globally such as wastewater management, providing living wages, and technology solutions for supply chain transparency. She previously worked as Nest’s Program Manager at its flagship project in Varanasi, India, where she has resided for 3 1/2 years consulting closely with artisans on the ground.