Staff

Rob Lederer

Rob Lederer is the Executive Director of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), a nonprofit coalition of leading electronics companies dedicated to improving social, environmental and ethical conditions in their global supply chains.

Rob has guided the RBA since 2013, driving industry action in the areas of forced labor, conflict minerals, human rights and sustainability, and expanding partnerships with governments and civil society worldwide. During that time the RBA has grown tremendously in size and reach, doubling its membership.

Rob has more than three decades of experience managing industry associations, helping them to achieve strategic objectives. Additionally, Rob was the mayor of Fairfax, Virginia, USA, for 10 years, providing leadership and vision to the city.

Deborah Albers

Before joining the RBA, Deborah Albers was the principal social strategist in corporate responsibility at Dell Inc., leading the work on social responsibility and stakeholder engagement. She was responsible for the long-term strategy and risk associated with responsible sourcing, global regulation and industry engagement on social issues. Deborah previously led the Dell On-Call organization globally, helping customers solve complex software issues. She was with Dell for 16 years. Prior to joining Dell, Deborah helped launch a technology startup in Silicon Valley, California.

Bob Mitchell

Bob is a 16-year veteran of Hewlett Packard and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, with over 10 years in sustainability. He was most recently the Director, Global Social & Environmental Responsibility at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, leading a team of professionals in human rights, supply chain responsibility and conflict minerals, among other issue areas. Bob also served on the RBA Board of Directors for nearly four years and was Vice Chair in 2016. He holds an MBA from the University of Arizona, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia.

Christine Briscoe

Christine has been at the RBA since 2013, the year staff was first hired, and came from the Fair Labor Association (FLA), where she launched a program for hundreds of university licensees to initiate or improve their compliance programs through online tools and in-person and online training. Since joining the RBA, she has worked with members in a variety of areas including RBA Online, member compliance and training, and launched the RBA’s online Learning Academy in Spring 2014. Christine actively works with new member prospects, and onboards new members and staff. She has an MBA from the University of Maryland, with a focus on international business, entrepreneurship and CSR. Christine holds teaching and training credentials and received the Society for Human Resource Management - Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) designation in early 2017.

Chee Keong Lai

Chee Keong has more than 20 years of experience in sustainability programs including supplier assessment, corporate social responsibility and green supply chains. His experience also includes validation and verification of carbon emission reduction projects on behalf of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UFCCC), and environmental, occupational safety & health and quality management systems audits, training and consultancy. Chee Keong has extensive international experience and exposure in countries in Asia Pacific and Europe. He was based in Beijing for 6+ years from 2008 to 2014.

Leah Butler

Leah has nine years of experience in regulatory compliance, stakeholder engagement, and extractive sector governance. Her work has focused on environmental remediation of industrial and small-scale mining sites and community development. She has worked for government, international development consulting firms, and the mining industry in the U.S. and Africa. Leah holds an MA in International Relations and a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale University.

Jarrett Bens

Jarrett has more than 15 years of experience directing strategic communications initiatives for technology companies, trade associations and nonprofits. He has held communications positions in PR agencies and corporations. His areas of expertise include public and media relations, public affairs, message development, digital communications, and research. Jarrett has a master's degree in political science from Villanova University and a bachelor's degree in journalism from Temple University.

Carlos Busquets

Carlos brings over 12 years of global public policy experience with a focus on sustainability, climate change, international trade and investment. He has worked in both the public and private sectors, including helping lead policy advocacy for the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris and as a former international trade negotiator at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Carlos has an MA from the School of International Service at American University and speaks English, Spanish and French. 

Ken Anderson

Ken brings 16 years of wide-ranging IT experience covering software engineering, database administration, network/telecom deployments, and enterprise systems management. He has worked in the Department of Defense, K-12 education software, and industrial controls engineering fields, providing a breadth of experience across many trades. As a PMI-certified project manager, his experience initiating, planning and supervising large projects assists the RBA in integrating the various tools and data needs required by our members and their suppliers. Ken has a master’s degree in information systems from the University of South Alabama.

Michèle Brülhart

Michèle has 10 years of experience working on due diligence and validation in responsible raw materials supply chains. She has unique expertise in the design, piloting and implementation of third-party audit mechanisms at all levels of the supply chain; from artisanal mine sites to RBA member companies. In her previous work she was responsible for the growth of a company’s audit practice, including technical project delivery and management of key client accounts. Michèle lived in East Africa for 10 years, from 2007 to 2017. She holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Laura Landrau

Laura came to the RBA with a background in both corporate and social event planning. She has been responsible for a wide variety of events, including conferences, launch events, weddings and galas. Laura has a bachelor's degree in communications and marketing from American University and speaks Spanish and Portuguese, as well as English. Laura also holds a certification in government meeting planning.

Hillary Amster

Hillary is an attorney with a background in corporate social responsibility. Previously she held positions at a CSR consulting firm and a number of international human rights organizations. Hillary has a JD from the University of San Francisco School of Law and a BA from Tufts University.

Marianna Smirnova

Marianna has nine years of experience in human rights and compliance issues in supply chains, including human trafficking, conflict minerals, and raw materials traceability. Her expertise includes leading global collaborative projects, program management, policy analysis, standards and audit tool development, training, capacity-building, and research. Previously Marianna managed the raw materials and extractives auditing and advisory services program at UL's Responsible Sourcing group, including assessments using Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), and Conflict-Free Smelter Program (CFSP) standards. Marianna has a Master’s in International Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin. She speaks English, Russian, and Mandarin Chinese.

Khai Yau Chua

Khai Yau Chua has 15 years of experience in public, private and international organizations. He started his career at HP and, in the nine years prior to the RBA, has been working on areas related to human, labor, migrant and refugee rights in IOM and UNHCR. Khai is an alumnus of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Trafficking in Persons and has an MA in International Relations from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and a BSc in Computer and Information Sciences from the National University of Singapore.

Daniel Reid

Dan has four years of regulatory experience with the EPA in the Dallas regional office, where he oversaw state level monitoring and registration programs for overly polluted waterbodies under the Clean Water Act. Additionally, he coordinated state run programs for monitoring health risks at public beaches. He joined RBA in 2016 after completing a Masters of Environmental Management at Yale, where he concentrated in corporate resource management and risk. At Yale, Dan worked and interned for several multinational corporations to evaluate the performance and environmental impact of their operations. Dan also has a Bachelors in environmental science from the University of Notre Dame.

Andrea Gilders

Andrea’s background includes more than 20 years of supply chain management experience in the electronics manufacturing industry. She previously held positions with Celestica, Siemens and Bryston Ltd. Andrea’s roles have included process and tools development, corporate governance, internal audit, vendor audit, operational supply chain, contracting and environmental compliance. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) from Queens University in Kingston Ontario and speaks English and French.

Andy Chiu

Andy has been working in the corporate social responsibility field for more than 15 years. He has led sustainability programs for various MNCs in a broad spectrum of industries, including retailers and vendors in the electronics, toys, apparel and footwear sectors, as well as for an auditing firm. Before joining the RBA Andy was the supply chain responsibility program manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he led a series of supply chain capability-building programs. Andy has a Master of Social Science (Corporate Environmental Governance) from The University of Hong Kong.

Cici Ye

Cici has more than 10 years of experience in global supply chain management, including supplier social compliance audit, supplier capability building, 3TG smelter engagement, supplier CMRT management, and internal business control and risk management. Before Joining the RBA, Cici was the Asia Pacific Program Manager for the IBM Supply Chain Social Responsibility team. Cici holds a master's degree in business administration from Sun Yat-sen University.

Ka Ea Lim

Ka Ea is trained in law and has more than 13 years of work experience in the field of civic education and human rights with non-governmental organisations in Malaysia and the United Nations in Timor-Leste and Afghanistan. She has also volunteered for the Ethiopian Red Cross Society and Foundation for International Development/Relief in Cambodia. Prior to joining the RBA, she worked as a Project Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights. She is an alumna of the American Council for Young Political Leaders (ACYPL).

Sherlin Shi

Sherlin has 12 years of experience, including extensive experience coordinating validation and verification of carbon emission reduction projects on behalf of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UFCCC).

Mann Chyun Sim

Mann Chyun comes to RBA with over seven years of experience in supply chain environmental compliance, providing environmental reporting and consultation services in the electronics, automotive and medical sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science from the National University of Malaysia.

Ross Landis

Ross' background includes 20 years of experience in IT support and publishing. Prior to joining the RBA, he was with The Gannett Company, where he honed his skills in software scripting, data management, and process automation. Earlier, he served on the Planning Commission for the City of Fairfax, Virginia. 

Gavin Wu

Gavin has experience in database management, vendor auditing, and Internet-based research. He previously interned at Washington, D.C. nonprofits focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Gavin has a bachelor's degree from the University of Miami in Biology and Ecosystem Science/Policy.

Kyle Rand

Kyle has a diverse background in customer relations, project management and information technology. Prior to joining the RBA, he was a program manager with the American Gastroenterological Association. Kyle has a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and is a CompTIA-certified IT Technician.

Steve Moloney

Steve is the former treasurer for the City of Fairfax, Virginia and is a licensed CPA. He has extensive experience managing budgets of over $100M and overseeing IT operations.

Anastasiia Olvera

Anastasiia came to RBA with a background in forensic accounting, audits, financial data analysis, and financial research. She was previously an accountant for The QED Group and holds a master's degree in finance from Taras Shevshenko University of Kyiv, Ukraine. Anastasiia speaks English, Ukrainian, Russian, and entry-level Spanish.

Antionette Adams

Antionette has more than 10 years of Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Financial Accounting experience in the nonprofit, for profit and private sectors. She earned her associates degree in Accounting from the University of Phoenix and received an Accounts Payable Certification from the Institute of Finance & Management. Prior to joining the RBA, Antionette worked as an Accounting Clerk for a security and risk management firm located in Washington, D.C.