Konica Minolta Australia chairman and managing director Dr David Cooke has been appointed to chair the inaugural Australian Human Rights Institute advisory committee at the UNSW which includes a group of eminent Australians who will help guide the research institute over the next three years.

The Institute, which launched in March 2018, is part of a broader UNSW Sydney strategy to encourage researchers from various disciplines to work towards breakthroughs for communities around the world that are most in need.

Konica Minolta, under Dr Cooke’s leadership, last year won the Australian Human Rights Commission Award for its work on modern slavery and removing it from the supply chain of the business.

“The formation of an advisory committee for the Australian Human Rights Institute is an important step in developing the scope and impact of the Institute’s valuable work,” Dr Cooke said.

“I am particularly excited by the multi-sector composition of the committee, which brings together a wide range of people with deep experience and deep commitment to human rights.”

Australian Human Rights Institute Director, Professor Louise Chappell, said the Institute’s research programs and support for human rights defenders would be enriched by the vast experiences of the advisors.

“In these early days of our Institute we are already seeing the potential for progress when experts in STEM consider human rights challenges in the areas of business, health and gender justice,” Professor Chappell said.

Other members of the advisory committee include:

• Pablo Berrutti – Deputy Chair, Responsible Investment Association of Australia
• Professor Megan Davis – Expert Member, United Nations Expert Mechanism on the rights of Indigenous peoples
• Kieren Fitzpatrick – Director, Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF)
• Craig Foster – Former Socceroo captain, commentator, sport and human rights advocate (pictured below)
• Rebecca Gilsenan – Principal Lawyer, Maurice Blackburn
• Kate Harrison – Partner, Gilbert+Tobin
• Fran Kelly – Presenter, ABC RN Breakfast
• Chris Lamb – Chief People & Culture Officer, Greencross Ltd
• Professor Robyn Norton AO – Principal Director, The George Institute for Global Health
• Elaine Pearson – Australia Director, Human Rights Watch
• Magda Szubanski AO – Actor, author and advocate
• Professor George Williams AO – Dean, UNSW Law
• Dr Phoebe Wynn-Pope – Head of Business and Human Rights, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
• Noël Zihabamwe – Founder and Chairperson for African Australian Advocacy Centre

Dr Cooke, whose business last year won an Australian Human Rights Commission Award for its leadership on modern slavery, said the role of the group was to support the Institute’s researchers by providing connections to industry and government, and championing their work.

Former Socceroo captain Craig Foster is among the committee members