Expertise. Integrity. Impact.
Led by global authority Fiona David, Fair Futures provides the strategic counsel organisations need to effectively manage modern slavery risks, protect stakeholders, and build sustainable value.
Fair Futures at a glance
-
Strategic Leadership: Led by Fiona David, bringing 25 years of global human rights leadership and forensic research to executive risk governance.
-
Global Slavery Index Architect: Founding author of the world’s leading dataset on modern slavery, establishing the global benchmark for tracking progress over time.
-
UN Legal Drafter: Primary drafter of UN Model Laws on transnational organised crime and modern slavery, offering deep insight into regulatory intent and governance frameworks.
-
Academic & Evidence Authority: Over 1,250 academic citations, providing the rigorous evidence base behind Fair Futures’ strategic frameworks.
-
TISFD Regional Governance: Member of the Asia Pacific Regional Council for the Taskforce on Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD), shaping the future of social reporting standards.
Fiona David | Strategic Lead and Principal
Fiona David is a globally recognised authority on human rights governance and sustainability. As the founding architect of the Global Slavery Index, she led the creation of the world’s most comprehensive dataset on forced labour - a landmark body of work that continues to serve as the evidence base for G20 leaders and national laws in the UK and Australia.
As one of Australia's foremost experts in modern slavery, she guides corporate and institutional leaders through complex human rights risks, turning regulatory obligations into defensible strategy and positive social value.
Current Strategic & Advisory Roles:
-
Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures: Regional Council Member (Asia Pacific)
-
NSW Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Advisory Panel: Strategic counsel on the implementation of the NSW Modern Slavery Act.
-
ACCESS-NRI: Deputy Chair of Australia's national climate simulator.
-
Business & Human Rights Access to Justice Lab: Research Fellow, Macquarie University Law School.
-
Forrest Research Foundation: Alternate and Adviser to Nicola Forrest AO on the Board of Governors.
-
Chief Executive Women (CEW): Member.
What Our Client's Say | Strategic Advisory & Product Blueprinting
Rachel Reilly, Ethical Clothing Australia
"I engaged Fiona David from Fair Futures to develop a strategic blueprint for a new product we could take to the market, to support businesses to strengthen responsible procurement of textiles, clothing and footwear.
From the outset, Fiona grasped the need to meet both financial and social objectives, developing a fast but rigorous process that integrated a deep understanding of our organisation’s core strengths, the emerging opportunity, and front-line insights into the procurement needs of potential customers from a range of industries and sectors.
The resulting blueprint is clear, operationally feasible and commercially-relevant. It will support businesses to meet emerging Modern Slavery Act requirements and international standards, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
I would highly recommend Fiona and Fair Futures to any organisation high quality stakeholder consultation, evidence-led strategy or project design support. She combines deep expertise in preventing modern slavery and achieving systems change, alongside practical skills in developing solutions to problems that are both evidence-based and fit for purpose."
Fiona's track record
Defining the standard | Global authority Fiona’s leadership established the baseline for how the world understands modern slavery risk today. She brings this macro-level authority to every Fair Futures engagement, providing a level of rigour that satisfies the most demanding global regulators.
Strategic risk & remediation | Forensic insight Having led labour audits in complex international contexts and delivered remediation programmes, Fiona knows it not enough for businesses to just report on problems - they need to resolve them with integrity.
Global impact | Legislative influence As former Chair of Research at the Minderoo Foundation, Fiona designed and oversaw multi-million dollar social impact investments. She led the drafting of United Nations Model Laws on transnational organised crime and migrant smuggling. Fiona is regularly consulted by Parliamentary Committees on law reform.
Commercial experience | Procurement & ESG Fiona has led reviews of multi-billion procurement programs, crafting strategies that reduce complexity, while helping businesses achieve leadership in sustainability. As a Non-Executive Director, Fiona has experience across investment portfolios and commercial realities.
Fiona David, founding architect of the Global Slavery Index, at Parliament House Canberra (Photo by Raul Ortiz de Lejarazu Machin)
The Fair Futures Team
We operate as a lean, senior-led advisory. Every engagement is personally directed by Fiona David, ensuring our clients have direct access to global authority at every stage of the project.
Fiona is supported by a specialist unit of researchers and lived-experience advisors. As one of the only commercial firms to integrate survivor-led insights alongside traditional subject-matter expertise, we ensure our advice is grounded in the reality of how exploitation actually happens - not just how it looks on paper.
Shannon Hobbs | Researcher
(She/her)
Shannon is a published researcher with a postgraduate qualification in Climate Change and Environmental Policy (MSc), specialising in the critical intersection of modern slavery and sustainability. Her experience includes human rights research projects with people from Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, equipping her with strong cross-cultural skills. Her work frequently leverages international human rights standards and due diligence obligations to influence policy and champion ethical practices that align with Fair Futures commitment to a just and sustainable future.
Tahlia McDonald | Research Analyst
(They/them)
Tahlia has a background in politics and international studies, with an additional focus on Latin America. They track laws, policies and issues to ensure Fair Futures clients are always prepared for domestic and global expectations. A former intern at the Parliament of Victoria, their findings were cited in support of successful legislative reform.
Jin Kim | Lived Experience Advisor and Research Assistant
(She/her)
Jin is a lived experience advisor on modern slavery and a research assistant. Jin is a Bachelor of Laws student with a keen interest in how businesses can make sure their operations and supply chains are free from forced labour and other forms of modern slavery.
Our Approach | Strategic Integrity and Resilience
The "integrity gap" | Beyond traditional compliance
In an era of rapid energy transition and fragmented supply chains, there is a profound mismatch between traditional "tick-box" compliance and the reality of human rights risk. Compliance is no longer enough to safeguard lives, protect reputations, or satisfy investors. Closing this gap requires integrity of action.
Bridging the gap | From values to action
You know your business. We know human rights. Together, we transform corporate values into strategic actions that protect your social license and deliver measurable impact. We don't just identify risks, we build the frameworks to manage them.
Evidence-led strategy | From risk to resilience
By embedding respect for human rights into your core operations, we transform systemic vulnerability into organisational resilience. We combine the data-driven authority of our Principal, Fiona David - founding architect of the Global Slavery Index - with the agility of a commercial consultancy. The result is strategy that is globally rigorous, locally relevant, and ready for implementation.
