Sayari will host a panel discussion featuring legal experts and advisors in ESG, CSR, and business & human rights compliance on Tuesday, September 24th at 9am ET. Register to attend here.
Topics will include:
- A brief overview of Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the European Parliament approved the proposed EU Forced Labour Regulation (EUFLR), and UFLPA
- A deep comparative analysis of the laws in terms of their scope, mandates, and penalties
- Recommendations for complying with all three regulations
- Broader commentary on the regulations’ economic and legislative impact
Speakers
Michael Littenberg
Michael Littenberg is a senior partner and global head of the Ropes & Gray ESG, CSR & Business and Human Rights compliance practice. As part of his practice, Michael advises a significant number of leading companies on ESG, CSR and business and human rights compliance matters and he is widely viewed as one of the leading practitioners in this rapidly developing area. Michael has authored hundreds of thought leadership pieces on a diverse range of ESG, CSR and business and human rights topics, is often quoted in the media and has received numerous industry accolades and awards.
Rita Santaniello
A member of the Milan Bar, Rita Santaniello has been working with the international multidisciplinary law firm Rödl & Partner since 1998. Co-Head of the Employment Law Department, she is also Founder and Head of the firm’s Sustainability Practice. She has always been attentive to the developments in law that follow the great revolutions of our time and deals with labour law issues in relation to digital technology and sustainability. As a litigator, she has gained significant experience in unfair competition practices, most recently in greenwashing. She is fluent in English and German, and she assists Italian and foreign companies in extrajudicial and judicial settings, in Italy and in cross-border matters.
She is Board Member & Co-Founder of Sircle S.r.l. Benefit Company and co-author of the EASI Model. She also speaks in Italy and abroad on labour, sustainability, and unfair competition issues. She is Il Sole 24 Ore Master Lecturer for ESG and CSRD issues and Senior Advisor of Il Sole 24 Ore. In her private life, she is married and mother to five children, ages 12 to 25.
Lise Smit
Lise is a South African-qualified lawyer with extensive experience in business and human rights and ESG-related matters. She advises on the implementation of human rights due diligence in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and is a leading expert on mandatory human rights due diligence laws. She has undertaken human rights impact assessments and human rights risk reviews across various industries and regions, including in the energy, technology, and financial sectors.
Lise led the study for the European Commission on supply chain due diligence which formed the basis for the European Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). She was previously a Senior Research Fellow in Business and Human Rights at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), Law Clerk to the Chief Justice of South Africa, and barrister (advocate) at the Cape Bar in South Africa. She has served as one of eleven members of the Appeals Committee for the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) since its inception until 2023.