Drawing on theory and research in various contexts, Dr. Aidan McQuade will explain why and how some leaders, in their professional roles and as citizens, make choices to protect life and preserve the environment despite negative social pressures to do otherwise. Given the moral crises facing humanity, from modern slavery to climate change, Aidan will explain how individuals can take up the challenge to lead ethically in business, government and civil society to help “defend the weak against the strong, and protest against brutality in any shape or form”.

Dr. McQuade is an independent consultant on human rights and humanitarian response. He was CEO of Anti-Slavery International from 2006 to 2017.  Prior to that, he worked extensively in development and humanitarian operations for 13 years, including 5 years leading emergency responses to the brutal civil war in Angola. He is the author of a soon to be published book, Ethical Leadership: Moral Decision-Making Under Pressure.

He is an experienced researcher on business and human rights, with a PhD on the subject of ethical choice-making in professional practice. He is also an acknowledged expert on slavery and forced labor, with an honorary OBE for his work on elimination of modern slavery. His work has included extensive and sustained engagement with international businesses, advising them on strategies to eliminate forced and child labor in supply chains and operations. He has also undertaken ground-breaking work that has exposed caste and gender aspects of modern slavery, and, particularly in Myanmar and Bangladesh, on slavery as a development and humanitarian issue.