Two new trustees join the team
Claire Walford
We are thrilled that Gillian Rivers and Tatiana Gren-Jardan have joined our Board of Trustees.
Gillian and Tatiana bring a wealth of experience to the table and a passion for fighting modern slavery in the UK and beyond.
Gillian is an experienced London-based family lawyer with more than 30 years of expertise in both domestic and family law. Alongside her extensive legal practice, Gillian has played a significant role in advancing the legal and policy response to human trafficking and modern slavery. She has served as a Panel Adviser to Kevin Hyland OBD and Dame Sara Thornton, former UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioners, and was the Honorary Legal Adviser to the Santa Marta Group, a global initiative launched by Pope Francis to tackle modern slavery through collaboration between law enforcement and faith communities.
Gillian also co-chaired the International Bar Association’s Human Trafficking Task Force and co-authored its landmark report on Trafficking and Corruption. She has facilitated training for judges on the Modern Slavery Act across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, helping to strengthen judicial understanding of this complex area of law.
She is a founder, and chairwoman until 2025, of a charity set up in 2017 to support vulnerable people. Through this charity, help and assistance was given to many organisations who work in the anti-slavery and trafficking arena to provide financial provision for organisations supporting victims; educational support by way of seminars and funding, all with the aim of trying to eradicate this awful expoloitation.
Gillian explains: "It was my invitation from the International Bar Association to set-up a task force to combat slavery and trafficking that first ignited my interest in this subject. I, like so many other people, had been unaware of the problem in the 21st Century. I thought it was an issue that had been consigned to the history books. However, as my knowledge and awareness grew, so did my passion and determination to offer my assistance in the global fight against this hideous criminal activity. I am delighted to become a Trustee at The Clewer Initiative, and I am grateful to the founding trustees for putting their trust in me. Together I know we will work together to help eradicate this hideous and inhumane treatment of adults and children."
We are also thrilled to welcome Tatiana Gren-Jardan to the board. Tatiana is the head of Policy and Advocacy at the anti-slavery charity, Justice and Care. She has worked in the modern slavery field in the UK for more than a decade, working first for the Human Trafficking Foundation, then as the Director of Strategy for the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner before accepting her current role at Justice and Care.
Prior to those roles, she spent seven years working at the UN’s Migration Agency in Moldova. She is passionate about addressing the root causes of inequality and protecting the vulnerable groups. She believes that systems can be and should be changed to reduce injustice.
Tatiana adds: “I am privileged to join the Board of Trustees at The Clewer Initiative as it is entering its new chapter. I’ve been involved and a fan of the The Clewer since its inception as I believe in its vision and potential of a meaningful and lasting impact. We need an army of people on the ground equipped with tools and information to spot the signs of modern slavery and exploitation and knowing how to respond.”
