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Colleen founded Ardea in 2010 (back then CLT-Envirolaw) with the vision to harness her niche legal expertise in order to help companies understand how to meet their legal obligations for sustainability and business and human rights and create progressive voluntary best practice standards. Tackling modern slavery in supply chains and communities is a key passion of hers.

Colleen is a tri-qualified solicitor with over 25 years’ legal and commercial experience of working with businesses and NGOs across sectors at both a strategic and operational level. She provides training to both directors and employees on human rights, modern slavery and sustainability issues. Colleen has a LLM (with distinction) in Environmental Law from the University of Aberdeen. She is recognised by The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners as a leading environmental law practitioner.

Colleen’s indefatigable passion for combating human trafficking, led her to found the not-for-profit organisation Finance Against Trafficking. Colleen lectures on business and human rights and environmental issues at Birkbeck School of Law. Recently she taught on an MBA programme at the University of Pisa on responsible business practices and modern slavery transparency in supply chains. She has spoken widely on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, modern slavery and sustainable business.

She is a member of the steering group of the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) and was an executive member and trustee of the UK Environmental Law Association for seven years. She sits on the advisory board for LexisPSL Environment and has recently been appointed by Positive Luxury to their Advisory Council. She is also an Acre accredited expert.

Colleen is a regular contributor to the legal and professional press and authored numerous chapters in published books. Her most recent book ‘Strategic Sustainable Procurement: law and best practice‘ is published by Routledge.

Colleen was part of the Modern Slavery Garden team which won Gold at the Chelsea Flower Show 2016 and has been nominated for an award by the Anti Slavery Awards group. She has set up an anti trafficking hub at the Towers Convent school in West Sussex.

Recently nominated as on of the UK’s top 100 Influencer of business on modern slavery and ethical business issues.