WASHINGTON, September 6, 2023 – GoodWeave International’s board of directors has selected Jon Jacoby as the organization’s new chief executive officer (CEO). GoodWeave is the leading global nonprofit organization working to end child, forced and bonded labor in global supply chains. Jacoby replaces Nina Smith, GoodWeave’s founding CEO, who led the organization for the past 24 years and announced earlier this year she would be stepping down. Smith will continue working with GoodWeave in a strategic advisory capacity through 2023 to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Jacoby’s first day as the organization’s CEO was September 1st.
Jacoby brings to GoodWeave significant expertise in responsible business, workers’ and human rights, and inclusive development, all areas central to the organization’s holistic approach to stopping child labor. “After an extensive selection process by the board, I’m very pleased to welcome Jon to GoodWeave. His deep commitment to the fundamental rights of workers combined with business engagement and fundraising experience enable him to lead the organization into its new chapter,” said Siddharth Kara, GoodWeave International’s board co-chair. “As we welcome a new leader, the entire GoodWeave board and I also extend our heartfelt gratitude to Nina for her exemplary and transformative leadership in steering the organization for the past 24 years.”
“I have long admired GoodWeave for its ground-breaking, grassroots-to-global work within the business and human rights realm,” said Jacoby. “I am honored to be taking the helm at a time when the organization is positioned for even more impact and growth in new sectors. I look forward to rolling up sleeves with our partners and stakeholders across business, philanthropy, government and civil society to ensure the rights of highly vulnerable children and informal workers in South Asia and around the world are protected and respected. I am deeply inspired to carry on the remarkable legacy of our founding CEO Nina Smith, and that of our founder and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi.”
Prior to joining GoodWeave, Jacoby led global grant-making at the Open Society Foundations (OSF) advancing human rights for vulnerable workers and communities in corporate supply chains. While at OSF, he co-founded Funders Organized for Rights in the Global Economy (FORGE) – a donor collaborative of nine private foundations that has mobilized $250 million to advance the core rights of marginalized workers around the world. He also co-founded the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, which marshals over $12 trillion in investor influence to advance corporate human rights due diligence.
Previously, he managed U.S. and global teams at Oxfam while co-leading the successful Behind the Brands campaign and index that advanced social and environmental sustainability at the world’s largest food and beverage companies, as well as led a confederation-wide policy review process as special advisor for private sector engagement to Oxfam International’s executive director. Jacoby also served as associate director for International Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress, where he co-authored the report “Virtuous Circle” on globalization, international trade and core labor standards. He has appeared on news outlets such as CNN, BBC, PBS and CNBC.
Jacoby holds a Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in international affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in social studies from Harvard University.
About GoodWeave International
GoodWeave — a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi — is the leading international institution working to stop child labor in global supply chains through a market-based system and holistic approach. GoodWeave partners with companies and local producer communities to bring visibility to hidden supply chains; protect workers’ rights; provide assurance that products are free of child, forced and bonded labor; and restore childhoods. Look for the GoodWeave® certification label on rug and home textile products. Learn more at goodweave.org. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
