Germany

Luke, BA History 2008, MA International Law 2011

Luke graduated for the first time from SOAS in 2008 with a BA in History, and after three years as a paralegal came back to study for his MA in International Law, which he graduated from in 2011.

His special focus was on how law impacted on society, the economy and multinational enterprises. During his MA, he founded Banyan: SOAS Advocates, a network of postgraduate law students offering pro bono legal and policy research as well as drafting skills to interested third parties looking to collaborate on projects with clear development, human rights or social justice advocacy goals.

Today, he is based in Berlin and works as a consultant, specialised in working with companies and policy-makers in setting up responsible sourcing management systems to reduce the likelihood of negative impacts occurring in global supply chains, to improve working conditions and human rights for workers.

He began working in this area in the civil society sector, leading him to work in Accra supporting with efforts to develop a good natural resource governance system in the country in the country's nascent oil sector.

Ten years later, his work has taken him dozens of places, including Mumbai, Yangon, Kiev and Tokyo. Today, his specialism is fashion supply chains, but he also works with agricultural, metals, electronics and mining companies. His expertise and approach to the topics of sustainability has been shared in Byline Times, Raconteur and the New York Times, among others.

Growing up in the countryside in Belgium, he speaks French and English and is currently learning German. He credits SOAS for opening his eyes to new possibilities and ways of thinking, as well for a solid education which has stood him in good stead since he left.

He wanted to become a SOAS Alumni ambassador to offer opportunities for alumni to meet each other, organise unique events and generally engage with anyone interested in potentially studying at SOAS in understanding what it's about and what to expect from the SOAS experience.