Impact Interview: Julie McBride
Name: Julie McBride
Role/Function: Human Rights Lead, Tony’s Chocolonely
What are you working on these days?
Currently, I have the privilege of leading the human rights program at Tony’s Open Chain, an initiative by Tony’s Chocolonely. Our core aim is to unite chocolate brands as Mission Allies, to revolutionize the cocoa supply chain, emphasizing sustainability. My specific role involves addressing illegal labor issues and fostering community development.
This year has been particularly exciting. We proudly welcomed Ben & Jerry’s to our growing family of Mission Allies. The fourteen current Mission Allies, including Ben & Jerry’s, have committed to paying a premium for their cocoa, ensuring access to a living income for farmers in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Our vision is that our approach to sustainability becomes the industry norm, not the exception. We firmly believe that collaborating with other brands and sourcing cocoa collectively magnifies our impact.
With our expansion, we've been fortunate to welcome dynamic new members to our West Africa teams, enriching our collective experience and perspective. We're also forging partnerships with new cooperatives in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, ensuring our Five Sourcing Principles are upheld.
My current focus? Ensuring our stance on illegal labor remains unparalleled in the industry, putting the well-being of farming families and their communities at the center.
What was the “aha” moment that sparked your interest in social impact?
After graduating from law school, I found myself immediately immersed in child abuse cases at a law firm in Ireland. Each case underlined the urgent need to protect, enable and support children, especially those who are most vulnerable.
This was a true “aha” moment and, from then on, working on children’s rights, and human rights more broadly, has been a driving passion. When looking at social impact, children’s rights are key. By giving effect to the rights of children and young people, generational cycles of poverty and exclusion can be broken, leading to sustainable and equitable development.
How did you break into the social impact space?
My entry into the social impact space was a blend of education, experience and seizing the right opportunities. After my stint in the legal sector, I returned to academia, earning a PhD in international human rights. This academic foundation provided me with the theoretical grounding and insights I needed.
I then transitioned into hands-on roles, starting with the United Nations, followed by humanitarian aid and development roles, predominantly in Eastern Africa. Over eight years, I delved deep into child protection and global health initiatives, and gained substantial experience and knowledge. I then recognized the potential to make a broader impact in the social sector.
Tony’s Chocolonely, being the most renowned mission-driven company in the Netherlands, seemed like the perfect avenue. Plus the emphasis on child protection and combating child labor really resonated with my previous experience.
For those venturing into the social impact domain, my advice is:
Invest in education, but also value hands-on experience. Volunteer and intern if you can – they are a great pathway to opportunities but also help you to find valuable mentors and supporters.
Network effectively, as opportunities often arise from unexpected places.
Stay passionate and patient – the right fit will come when the time is right.
Working in social impact is often about driving change. What is the skill or trait that has been most important for your work as a change agent? How did you learn or hone it?
Driving change, particularly in the social impact space, requires a blend of patience and openness.
In every sector, collaboration is critical. This involves aligning diverse stakeholders from both public and private spheres. The cocoa industry is a perfect example of this, with a vast array of differing views and approaches. It's here that patience becomes invaluable. Not that it is easy – I still find it hard to accept that my sense of urgency for change isn’t always matched by others, but it helps when I see that being patient can have better results than being too forceful.
Yet, patience alone isn't enough: we also need to show vulnerability and admit that we don’t know it all or have all the answers! While it's natural to feel protective of our own approaches and perspectives, the real progress comes when we're open to change.
What most excites you about the social impact space right now?
There's a lot of exciting change and dynamism in the social impact space right now. The impending EU due diligence directive is getting a lot of attention. Legislation is not the silver bullet solution to sustainability but can be a catalyst propelling companies into action. The emphasis on enhancing social traceability and bolstering human rights programs is much needed. This legislation will redefine standards and accountability, and encourage companies to further step up to focus not only on profitability but also on their societal footprint.
I am an eternal optimist - and there are many, many challenges! - but these developments are keeping my faith in the sustainability sector and its potential to help build a more equitable world.
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