Human Rights First Welcomes Krishna Omkar to its Board

NEW YORK – At its recent board meeting, Human Rights First elected Krishna Omkar to its board of directors.

“Krishna is recognized around the world as a thought-leader on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Human Rights First’s President and CEO Michael Breen. “His experience advising pro bono in courts across the globe and his judgement on DEI and other human rights issues will be important additions to Human Rights First’s board of directors.”

“I am honored to join the board of Human Rights First,” said Mr. Omkar.  “Human Rights First is operating at the frontier of the central human rights issues of our time, advocating for social justice, and directing the fight against extremism, authoritarianism, and the use and abuse of technology in pivotal and innovative ways.  In the context of today’s geopolitical landscape, this work has never been more crucial, and its impact is universal in scope.  I look forward to bringing my experience of looking through the lens of inclusion and equity to the mission of Human Rights First in addressing the critical human rights challenges facing the global community.”

Mr. Omkar has been widely recognized for his multi-specialist legal practice acting for public and private companies in complex cross-border mergers & acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, restructuring and insolvency, special situations, and private credit transactions. He is recommended as a leading lawyer in Legal 500 UK as well as Asia-Pacific, received the inaugural Rising Star Award at the British Legal Awards, was named by Attitude as one of 101 trailblazers changing the world, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Mr. Omkar’s work on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the intersection of business, human rights, and stakeholder capitalism is considerable.  He has twice spoken on the subject at the World Economic Forum Davos, in 2019 alongside multiple leading CEOs, and in 2020 convening a round table of CEOs and business leaders to discuss stakeholder capitalism.  He has acted and advised pro bono on landmark judgments around the world, and collaborated with the UN in convening a consultation on business and human rights. He is the founder of Return on Equity, a thought-leadership initiative influencing a philosophy of stakeholder capitalism, levering on inclusive disruption to drive and generate long-term value within the broader framework of equity and inclusion.

He is a trustee or board member of multiple non-profits in the UK and the U.S., including of Paintings in Hospitals, a UK non-profit that delivers art-based interventions in healthcare spaces; Athlete Ally, a U.S. non-profit dedicated to advocating for inclusion in sports; and ORAM: Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration.

Mr. Omkar holds a B.A. from the University of Delhi, an M.Phil. from the University of Oxford, and spent time as visiting researcher at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris / Sciences Po.