Former U.S. Politician Delivers Impassioned Human Rights Message to HEC Students

With a career allying diplomacy, teaching, human rights advocacy and business strategy, Michael Posner is uniquely placed to share lessons on how to bridge business and advocacy.

“Business is not neutral. The decisions you make - about sourcing, about labor conditions, about AI - these are human rights decisions. And if you're not thinking that way, you should be.” With this firmly stated conviction, Michael Posner, NYU Stern Professor and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, set the tone for a two long exchanges with students and faculty members from HEC Paris. Hosted last month by HEC teacher and architect of the school’s Business & Human Rights (BHR) course, Charles Autheman, the event offered rare insights into the dynamics combining business and advocacy in the United States.

During an on-campus gathering and at the end of a Paris conference, Posner drew on his long experience to underline a principle which has guided him throughout his career: human rights are not an external constraint on business, but part of its core operating context. “Too many leaders still talk about human rights as if it’s someone else’s job,” he told HEC faculty at the conference organized by the school’s Sustainability & Organization Institute (S&O). “But supply chains, digital governance, labor conditions - these are squarely in your remit as business educators. If you ignore them, you’re training the next generation to fail.”

Posner also outlined the motivation behind the Fair Labor Association - a pioneering multi-stakeholder initiative he co-founded to hold global apparel brands accountable for labor abuses in their supply chains. “We knew the existing model of ‘voluntary codes’ wasn’t working,” he told students the day before. “We needed a system of external monitoring, transparency, and worker’s voice. That’s how FLA was born. Is it perfect? No. But is it better than pretending nothing is wrong? Absolutely.” A sentiment shared by Autheman, who chaired the debate : “One can pick off some of this work but, honestly, you can’t find a better organization in this field,” he noted after the conference.

The FLA’s collaborative spirit, and realism about incremental progress, formed the backbone of Posner’s message to the students: it is through alliances, not absolutes, that business can become a lever for justice. Chairing the exchange, Autheman pointed out that students often arrive in his BHR classes skeptical of corporate commitments. Posner did not sugarcoat these challenges. But his perspective - that engaged critique is more powerful than cynicism - resonated. “Yes, we need watchdogs. But we also need people willing to sit at the table and ask the hard questions from inside.”
 

Stepping Into Discomfort: Lessons from Government Service

Posner encouraged the attending students to seek roles outside their comfort zone, including in corporations and in politics, precisely where the tension between profit and principle is most acute. “It’s easy to preach from the outside,” he said, “but the real test is whether you can shape decisions from within, without losing your moral compass.”

The director for the NYU Stern Center for Business & Human Rights also alluded to his political past to illustrate the point. He had served under President Obama between 2009 and 2013, answering only to the President himself and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It was a tense chapter in U.S.-China, dominated by underlying political friction. “It was never easy,” he admitted. “I often came out of those meetings feeling like we were talking past each other. But the alternative – silence - was worse.”

And he linked the point to some of the present moral issues linking human rights and business: “Ask yourself,” he challenged the audience, “where do today’s reputational crises come from? Child labor in cobalt mining. Forced labor in Xinjiang. Content moderation failures on social media. In each case, it’s not just a PR failure - it’s a governance failure.”
 

Tech Giants and the Regulation Deficit

Indeed, one area where Posner’s sense of urgency was most palpable was in discussing technology companies and social media platforms. The former lawyer described how many Silicon Valley firms have perfected the art of regulatory evasion, using opaque algorithms and legal loopholes to dodge accountability for misinformation, harassment, and surveillance. “These are among the most powerful institutions in our world,” he argued. “And they operate with almost no democratic oversight. That’s dangerous - for human rights, for democracy, for the truth.”

Students asked about potential solutions: should they lean towards self-regulation, or is state intervention the way forward? Posner didn’t offer simple answers. Instead, he advocated for a hybrid approach grounded in international norms, civil society pressure, and cross-border cooperation. “You can’t wish this away. You have to confront it - legally, politically, ethically.”

As democratic institutions come under increasing strain worldwide, none more so than in his native U.S., Posner’s belief in free expression and civic engagement remains unshaken: “When the rule of law is under threat, silence is complicity. You, as future business leaders, will be tested - not just in your balance sheets, but in your values.” The 74-year-old linked this point directly to his educational mission, noting that he delivers a similar message on U.S. campuses - where polarization and self-censorship often discourage open debate. “I tell my students the same thing I’m telling you: speak up. Be informed. Take risks for what matters.”
 

Teaching BHR: Why It Matters at HEC

For Charles Autheman, the exchange crystallized the very reason such teaching belongs in management schools. “It’s not about turning every student into an activist,” Autheman explained. “It’s about ensuring they understand the ethical terrain of modern business - so they can navigate it with clarity, courage, and creativity.”

Posner agreed, emphasizing that BHR is not a niche concern. It’s foundational: “This isn’t some add-on to finance or strategy. It is strategy. Because reputational risk, social license to operate, employee morale - all of it hinges on how you treat people.”

Asked what gives him hope, Posner turned to the audience. “You do,” he said plainly. “Because you’re not looking away.” He cited the role of student pressure in advancing climate commitments, labor standards, and even divestment movements. “I’ve seen CEOs shift their priorities because they don’t want to be on the wrong side of their kids’ generation. That’s real leverage. Use it.”

His appeal to students brought some practical suggestions: “You want to change the world? Good. Then start by changing the way a company buys cotton, or handles user data, or treats its lowest-paid worker. That’s where the fight is.”
 

The Power of Conscience in Corporate Life

As the conversation wound down, a student asked what personal qualities had sustained him through decades of often-frustrating work. “Stubbornness,” he smiled. “And faith that even small changes can ripple outward.”

This pugnacity shone during Michael Posner’s appearance the following day at S&O’s Inclusive Economy conference in Paris. It was no grand lecture; rather, a dialogue: searching, and unafraid of gray areas. In a world where complexity too often breeds apathy, his message was disarmingly simple: “Don’t outsource your conscience. Bring it with you - to the boardroom, the factory floor, the trading desk. That’s leadership.”

In amplifying this ethos, the BHR course at HEC is doing more than training managers. It is helping form the ethical backbone of business itself.