FARIS NATOUR

Faris Natour is an internationally recognized expert with twenty years of experience working in business and human rights, responsible innovation, and social impact. As Principal of Article One, Faris advises corporate and institutional clients across sectors and regions on human rights and responsible innovation to drive transformative change. Faris also leads the Human Rights and Business Initiative at the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, where he teaches courses on business and human rights and drives research and collaboration among business and stakeholders to address critical human rights challenges.

Faris focuses on corporate human rights and responsible innovation strategy, human rights due diligence, training and engagement. His clients have included Amazon, Cisco, Facebook, Microsoft, Gap Inc., the International Finance Corporation, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, Target, Telenor, and VF Corporation. Faris has led human rights, responsible innovation, and social impact projects in countries including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, UK and USA.

Before co-founding Article One, Faris spent 10 years at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) where he led BSR’s global human rights practice as Managing Director. In addition to advising companies on human rights strategy and management systems, Faris established and led the BSR Human Rights Working Group, a group of over 30 multinational companies collaborating on implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Faris has also worked at Calvert Investments, where he was responsible for investment analysis of corporate human rights performance. A German national, he has also worked at Human Rights Watch and at the European Commission Delegation in Washington, D.C.

Faris has partnered with and advised a wide range of government agencies, multi-lateral institutions, and international organizations, including UN OCHA, the UN Global Compact, the U.S. State Department, the OECD US National Contact Point, the World Bank Group, and USAID.

Faris received an LL.M. in International Law with highest honors from George Washington University Law School, and a law degree from Universitaet Regensburg, Germany.