Guy Ryder
A longstanding and committed supporter of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, Guy Ryder has dedicated most of his professional career to the protection and development of international labour standards and succeeded Mary Robinson as Chair of the Centre in October 2022 until the end of the year. After being appointed as United Nations Under-Secretary General for Policy, Guy Ryder joined Mary Robinson as Patron of the Centre in 2023.
Guy Ryder first joined the International Labour Organization in 1998 as Director of the Bureau for Workers’ Activities. In 2002, he was appointed General Secretary of the ICFTU, leading the process of global unification of the democratic international trade union movement. He was elected as first General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) when it was created in 2006. In September 2010, he came back to the ILO in Geneva as Executive Director, responsible for international labour standards and fundamental principles and rights at work. He was elected as ILO Director-General in 2012 and re-elected in 2016.