Meet the team

Colleen founded Ardea in 2010 (back then CLT-Envirolaw) with the vision to harness her niche legal expertise in order to help companies understand how to meet their legal obligations for sustainability and business and human rights and create progressive voluntary best practice standards. Tackling modern slavery in supply chains and communities is a key passion of hers.

Colleen is a tri-qualified solicitor with over 25 years’ legal and commercial experience of working with businesses and NGOs across sectors at both a strategic and operational level. She provides training to both directors and employees on human rights, modern slavery and sustainability issues. Colleen has a LLM (with distinction) in Environmental Law from the University of Aberdeen. She is recognised by The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners as a leading environmental law practitioner. Colleen is a fellow of IEMA and a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery, St Mary’s University. Twickenham. She is also an independent legal consultant and consults with Re:Links

Colleen’s indefatigable passion for combating human trafficking, led her to found the not-for-profit organisation Finance Against Trafficking. Colleen lectures on business and human rights and environmental issues at Birkbeck School of Law. Recently she taught on an MBA programme at the University of Pisa on responsible business practices and modern slavery transparency in supply chains and teaches on sustainable supply chains at the University of Westminster.  She has spoken widely on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, modern slavery and sustainable business.

She sits on the advisory board for LexisPSL Environment.   She has been appointed to development committee of the Social Responsibility Alliance       and is also appointed to APSCA’s disciplinary board. Colleen is currently on the BSI committee developing a standard guidance note on modern salvery.

She was previously a  member of the steering group of the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) and was an executive member and trustee of the UK Environmental Law Association for seven years has recently been appointed by Positive Luxury to their Advisory Council. She is also an Acre accredited expert.

Colleen is a regular contributor to the legal and professional press and authored numerous chapters in published books. Her most recent book ‘Strategic Sustainable Procurement: law and best practice‘  is published by Routledge. She has also published a chapter on ‘Modern Slavery and Transparency in Supply Chains’ in ‘The Modern Slavery Agenda:Policy, Politics and Practice in the UK published by Policy Press.

Colleen was part of the Modern Slavery Garden team which won Gold at the Chelsea Flower Show 2016 and has been nominated for an award by the Anti Slavery Awards group. She has set up an anti trafficking hub at the Towers Convent school in West Sussex.

Recently nominated as on of the UK’s top 100 Influencer of business on modern slavery and ethical business issues.

Laura is a qualified US lawyer and previously was a director at Talking Oak International, a specialist legal consultancy providing human rights advice, compliance support and training design and delivery to private security companies and other companies and NGOs operating in challenging and complex environments. She assisted the Security in Complex Environments Group (SCEG)—the trade association for the UK’s private security industry—with numerous projects preparatory work with the British Standards Institute to develop ISO 28007—2015; and the transition of the international standard for land based Private Security Companies (PSC 1) to a full International Standard (ISO 18788—2015).

Laura retired from the US Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps after 23 years of active duty service. Her last military posting was in the UK Ministry of Defence as a member of the strategy team for the British Army Chief of the General Staff. Prior to this, she served in the British Army’s Operational Law Branch.

Prior to her secondment with the British Army, Laura was the Chief of Operational Law in the US Army’s International and Operational Law Department, US Army Pentagon, where she also served as Rule of Law coordinator for the Army’s Stability Operations division. Laura’s deployed operational assignments with the US Army include tours in the Republic of South Korea, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq serving in various legal and leadership roles.

Laura earned her J.D. at Louisiana State University Law School (civil and common law), her LLM in Military law (International and Operational law specialty) from The Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Virginia, and her BA from Brown University.
Among her publications is, “Fog of Law: an introduction to the legal erosion of British fighting power” a report she co-authored for the Policy Exchange, a London based think tank. She also contributed to the US Army’s Rule of Law Handbook, Operational Law Handbook, and Interagency (U.S. Government) Complex Contingency Operations Legal Handbook.

Gordon is a highly experienced communicator, marketeer and social entrepreneur with 20+ years’ career experience in journalism, PR, events production, content creation, stakeholder engagement and the delivery of communications campaigns for blue chip clients. 

He has contributed to consumer and trade publications: The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Independent, The Metro, CityAM, The Daily Telegraph, The Wall Street Journal

Among delivering several other events 2015-2019, Gordon has produced the Responsible & Ethical Leadership for Global Construction Supply Chains Conference 2019, 6 November http://ow.ly/DSyy30ouIZY 

#EthicalSourcing

He curated the 2018 UK Top100 Corporate Modern Slavery Influencers’ Index http://ow.ly/i91F30iIvZl #Top100Index. He also facilitated the Global Governance Research Fund (GGRF) Global Governance FTSE 100 and Real Estate 100 Indexes http://ow.ly/lgbH30mYCSm #GlobalGovernanceFTSE100#GGRF100

A keen cyclist, a hobby which he utilises for social purpose, Gordon organised #RideforFreedom2019 7-18 October 2019. The Charity bike ride supported survivors of modern slavery

http://rideforfreedom2019.org.uk/

As a consultant, Rory has contributed to a range of projects relating to modern slavery and sustainability, developing practical solutions to embed human rights due diligence across supply chains in line with the law and international standards. In his time at Ardea, Rory’s projects have involved clients in professional sports, finance, IT, manufacturing and agriculture sectors.

Rory recently graduated with a Masters in Law (with distinction) from the University of Law, Surrey. Previously, he earned a History (First class honours) degree at the University of Reading. His decision to make the transition to law was driven by a keen interest in the role that responsible business practices play in eradicating modern slavery.

Katie is an English Literature graduate from the University of Sheffield who remains living in the city after finishing her studies. She has supported the Ardea team as an office manager for almost a year and shares a passion for human rights with her colleagues, and has gained invaluable insights from her time here. She is particularly passionate about global sustainability, and the rehabilitation of survivors of modern slavery, in particular the mental health side of recovery. 

Toluse received a distinction in her masters in Africa and Development at the University of Sussex. She is a recent Law graduate (First class Honours) from the University of Bristol. Her interest in Africa and Development is driven by her passion to combat global inequality, and her desire to contribute to sustainable development and decolonisation. She is particularly passionate about modern slavery, and how people from the Global South are especially vulnerable to this. She intends to incorporate her knowledge and passion in combating global inequalities in her future legal career and will be completing her LPC next year.

“There's really no such thing as the 'voiceless'. There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.” Arundhati Roy

Marreyar is currently studying Law with French for Professional Purposes LLB at the University of Sussex. She has come to complete her second year and aims to excel in her final year, while studying a selective module of Commercial Law and Human Rights. It is her aspiration to become a Corporate Solicitor, while having the ability to bring into light to importance and relevance of modern slavery to the Legal sector. She has had the opportunity to work with children in education, and therefore feels extremely motivated and interested when looking at topics such as child labour; a project in which she has been assigned to aid Colleen with. Upon graduating, Marreyar seeks to pursue and make the most of a career in the legal sector, through completing her LPC, qualifying as a solicitor, and bringing more awareness through pro-bono work to sustainability, injustice towards children and women, and the current societal issue around modern slavery

Richard is an e-learning content specialist. A highly experienced creative professional with skills in video editing, animation, design and illustration, he has previously worked in house designing training and elearning content for Sussex Police and on a freelance basis for a variety of businesses and individuals. Richard has a Masters degree in animation and currently lectures in Visual Effects and Animation at the University of Sussex.

Communicate don’t decorate is our mantra. It’s not enough to have a pretty website or app, it needs to work hard to satisfy and balance everyone’s needs.

Sarah’s our user expereince designer. She helps support Ardea with their on and offline communications and designs.

Sarah wants every digital experience to be as effortless and enjoyable as possible for everyone concerned. Her focus is on placing the user at the centre of all projects – website, app or interface – believing it is this that makes for a better product and a bigger impact. It’s not just the outcome she cares about, but the process too – her project management skills are legendary. She’s an intelligent thinker with years of experience in the digital arena and a born problem-solver. Sarah’s varied background in strategy, brand, design, and accessability give her a solid base for creative thinking and oodles of businesses sense. She also holds an MSc in User Experience design from Brighton University and a graphic design degree from many moons ago.

Sarah’s passion of digital design began some time ago, with her BBC Micro computer and some ski pants back in the late 80s. Since then she has worked with some of the world’s leading charities, financial institutions, and businesses alongside some inspirational independents.

Hannah has recently graduated from the University of Sussex where she studied an undergraduate degree in Law and Masters in International Human Rights Law. She is passionate about spreading awareness of the consequences of fast fashion. In particular, the human cost of our clothes and prevalence of modern slavery in supply chains.