Laura Belfiore

Laura Belfiore’s career focus spans human resources management, human rights, diversity and inclusion, and corporate social responsibility. Originally from Argentina, she developed her international career in the human resources function at Kraft Foods, coordinating local and Latin American initiatives in the subfields of talent attraction, organizational and leadership development, and diversity and inclusion, as well as served as senior human resources partner to various business units in Argentina, Brazil, and the United States.

Due to her increasing interest in impacting the world in a more positive way, Laura relocated to Ecuador in late 2012, where she took a one-year volunteering assignment at Asylum Access, a U.S.-based NGO that advocates for the rights of refugees through legal and economic empowerment. In this role, she assisted with the implementation of the national policy advocacy agenda and participated in the research team tasked with an analysis of the barriers faced by refugees in 14 Latin American countries.

Later on, Laura engaged with the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — the UN Global Compact. As its national focal point for Ecuador, she helped advance the initiative’s 10 Principles on responsible business conduct, with a special emphasis on a human rights agenda. Such efforts aimed at building business understanding of human rights and the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, stimulating labor inclusion of vulnerable groups, providing useful tools and resources to foster a non-discriminatory working environment, and adopting a human rights perspective to corporate social investment strategies.

After her repatriation to Argentina in 2017, Laura has continued to collaborate with the UN Global Compact, helping local businesses develop capabilities around sustainability reporting standards, private sector alignment to UN Sustainable Development Goals, human rights, and gender equality. She also coordinates two working groups, one of them centered on Human Rights and Business, and serves as an expert panelist for the 2021 edition of The Global D&I Benchmarks: Standards for Organizations Around the World.

Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Universidad del Salvador, Argentina, and post graduate studies in international development, corporate social responsibility, and human rights.

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