William Rook
Deputy Chief Executive, Centre for Sport and Human Rights
Expertise
William established IHRB’s presence in the Middle East in 2015, liaising closely with governments, embassies, state entities and major companies across the region, facilitating corporate engagement with issues such as worker welfare and risks around human trafficking and forced labour. He was based in Doha, Qatar from 2015-2019. At the same time, as Co-Head of IHRB’s Sports Programme, William also managed the process that led to the launch in 2018 of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, coordinating a broad coalition of actors in support of a mandate, strategy, and institutional structure for the Centre.
Current Work
William is Deputy Chief Executive of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, and continues to work part-time with IHRB as a Senior Advisor on labour rights projects in the Middle East, including with the ILO Project Office in Qatar. This includes input into research design, stakeholder engagement, project staffing, fundraising, and supporting the delivery of events and activities across the Middle East.
Before IHRB
William first worked in the field of responsible mega-sporting events in 2009 when he worked on the CSR programme of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He has a law degree (First Class Honours) from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), a Masters in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and a postgraduate diploma in legal practice. William then trained as a corporate lawyer, qualifying as a Solicitor with Slaughter and May in London. Before joining IHRB William worked in the Business and Human Rights Research Group at the University of Greenwich, researching CSR in extractive industries, mining-induced displacement and resettlement, public procurement, and electronics supply chains, also graduating with a research masters in public international law.
