“When I consider the magnitude of the subject which I am to bring before the House-a subject, in which the interests, not of this country, nor of Europe alone, but of the whole world, and of posterity, are involved: and when I think, at the same time, on the weakness of the advocate who has undertaken this great cause-when these reflections press upon my mind, it is impossible for me not to feel both terrified and concerned at my own inadequacy to such a task” William Wilberforce spoke these words on May 12 1789 about the abolition of the slave-trade. 240 years later there are an estimated 50 million people trapped in modern slavery all over the world. As Chief Operating Officer at Hope for Justice and Slave-Free Alliance there is an enormous job to do. I came into this position understanding the importance and value of ensuring that the “engine room” of the organisation works effectively, efficiently and is ready to pivot at any time. Working in the rescue and prevention space of modern slavery and human-trafficking brings a great deal of risk and safeguarding which need to be continuously monitored and balanced. With teams operating across 7 countries there is much to do to ensure compliance with international legislation and regulations including the important structure of our Trustee and Governance Boards. Our staff are passionate abolitionists and skilled professionals. As COO I oversee all our people-focused initiatives which we design around staff wellbeing and engagement. The work we do is difficult and emotional which is why one of our core values is ‘Honouring’ to allow us to celebrate each other and recognise the impact we are having. An estimated 27.6 million of the overall 50 million figure of those trapped in modern slavery account for ‘forced labour’. This is why we set up ‘Slave-Free Alliance’ to work with businesses to assess and mitigate their risk of slavery in supply chains. We are uniquely positioned in this space to be able to provide businesses (from the largest multi-national corporates to the smallest startups) with advice, support and help in identifying what steps they should take to reduce their risks or best respond when a victim is identified somewhere in their organisation. I came to Hope for Justice with a consistent track record of delivering large scale change and leading international teams through a range of Business, IT and Telecoms environments. I have been fortunate throughout my career to have worked in exciting businesses with some incredible people from whom I have learned great leadership qualities.