Margaret Wachenfeld

Managing Director, Themis Research and Senior Research Fellow for the Institute for Human Rights and Business – Brussels, Belgium

Margaret is an international lawyer and policy adviser with expertise and experience in applying key international standards related to human rights, responsible business conduct, good governance and the environment to the work of international organisations and the private sector. She works on a wide range of issues, with a particular focus on Myanmar and Colombia. Earlier as Director of Research and Legal Affairs at IHRB, she was the focal point for their work in East Africa.

Margaret started her career as legal counsel to the Danish Institute for Human Rights. After practicing law in a commercial lawfirm, focusing on environmental and corporate responsibility issues, she joined the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to work on environmental and social dimensions of project finance transactions and later served as the principal human rights advisor at the IFC. More recently, Margaret was senior policy advisor to the United Nation’s Children’s Fund, covering a wide range of children’s rights issues.

Margaret has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in biology from Wellesley College, a prestigious private women’s liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA, a juris doctor (JD) and masters in international and comparative law (LLM) from Duke University School of Law and a PhD in law (licentiate) from the University of Copenhagen.