Board of Directors

Hanna Gerdes has worked nationally and internationally for 20 years to strengthen the protection of human rights and influence the development of society. Hanna is a lawyer in international law and has previously worked in strategic management and development roles at the Swedish Armed Forces, the Human Rights Fund, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Equality Ombudsman. Hanna has extensive experience in board work, in organisations such as RFSU and Forum Syd. She has also been a member of the Swedish Committee on Constitutional Damages and has authored several books and publications on human rights. Hanna was awarded the Diversity Index Award 2018.

Noura Berrouba is the Chief of Staff at the Daniel Sachs Foundation. For over a decade, Noura has been active in national and international contexts, focusing on issues related to democracy, human rights, peace, and security. Previously, Noura served as the chairperson of LSU – The National Council of Swedish Youth Organisations. Noura has worked at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, including at the Swedish Dialogue Institute for the Middle East and North Africa, as well as at Sweden’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels. In addition to Civil Rights Defenders, Noura is a board member of the Friends Foundation, Global Shapers Community, Arvsfondsdelegationen, Stiftelsen Höj Rösten, the Swedish-Norwegian Cooperation Fund, and the advisory committee for the Swedish Dialogue Institute for the Middle East and North Africa.

Caroline Thunved has over 25 years of experience working in communication, marketing and business development in both civil society and private industry. Caroline works as CEO of the Swedish Communication Association. She has extensive experience as a leader and has previously worked at Save the Children Sweden, the Guides and Scouts of Sweden and the Employers’ Organisation IDEA. She ranked high on Resumé’s top list of Supercommunicators and she won the Stora Kommunikatörspriset 2016.

Christian is a member of the Swedish Bar Association since 1983 and has focused on international humanitarian law, labour law and criminal cases. Christian was the driving force behind the establishment of the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) in 2002 and its secretary-general until 2015. Christian has previously been chairman of the Swedish Bar Association’s Human Rights Committee and the European Human Rights Committee within the CCBE (Conseil Consultatif des Barreaux Européens). Since 2005, he has also been Sweden’s representative in the Council of Europe´s Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

Mårten Lundberg has a background in various international CHRO positions, has been responsible for sales and marketing for 10 years and has served as interim CEO. He is employed at Loomis AB since 2014 and is a member of the group management as CHRO / CMO. Mårten works with international business development and its effects on organization, leadership, and relevant HR areas. He is also the founder and CEO of ML Consult AB whose area of ​​service is consulting within the above.

Théo Jaekel is a lawyer, specialising in business and human rights and international law. His previous experiences include leading the global legal human rights team at Ericsson, establishing and leading the human rights work at the law firm Vinge, and conducting investigations on corporate responsibility at Swedwatch. Théo has extensive experience in board work within organisations such as Transparency International Sweden, UN Global Compact Sweden, and the Global Network Initiative. Théo now works as an independent advisor on business and human rights.

Ulla Andrén has worked with development cooperation and diplomacy for over 40 years, primarily within Sida and the Foreign Ministry, with a focus on Africa and Eastern Europe. Ulla has been Head of Department at Sida and the Swedish Ambassador to Mozambique. For the past five years, she has been Head of the Regional Development Cooperation Section at the embassy of Sweden in Addis Abeba. Ulla has also worked as a consultant specialised on development cooperation, as well as with efficiency audits at the Swedish National Audit Office. In total, she has lived and worked for almost 20 years in Africa.

Lena Svensson is a former certified public accountant and partner at PwC. She has several years of experience as an accountant and advisor in the nonprofit sector and has, among other things, worked with organisations within the fundraising and international development sectors. Beyond leading numerous audit teams, Lena has held several leadership roles within PwC, namely as group manager and business area manager, and has been responsible for developing PwC’s nonprofit sector department. Today, Lena holds several board positions and works as a consultant, specialising in associations and foundations.