Tayná Leite

My practice operates at the intersection of gender-based violence, organizational misconduct, and institutional accountability. Grounded in feminist legal theory and care-centered governance, I work simultaneously at two levels: supporting those directly affected by harm and advancing structural reforms that reshape how institutions exercise power. I advise survivors, collectives, and mission-driven organizations in contexts where abuse is intertwined with hierarchy, silence, and reputational shielding, particularly within institutions publicly committed to justice and social impact. Core areas of work include: • Strategic coordination of collective misconduct and whistleblowing cases, integrating litigation pathways, advocacy strategies, and survivor-informed support; • Legal strategy in individual labor claims involving harassment, discrimination, and retaliation; • Development of structural accountability frameworks addressing corporate shielding, transnational liability, and institutional impunity; • Institutional reform processes focused on safeguarding systems, grievance architecture, psychosocial risk governance, and gender-responsive accountability models; • Policy-oriented trainings and advisory engagements on business and human rights, institutional harassment, and feminist governance for boards, public bodies, and civil society networks. Beyond individual mandates, my work contributes to broader efforts to align internal governance practices with the human rights standards institutions advocate externally.

- Leads strategic and cross-functional projects to ensure compliance with Amazon’s Global Human Rights Principles and Supply Chain Standards. - Collaborating closely with the Worldwide Social Responsibility team, with a special focus on fostering customer trust, business continuity, and sustainable social impact throughout business's value chain, to develop scalable mechanisms ensuring compliance with supply chain standards. - Define and execute RACI models among LATAM business and support teams for social responsibility related tasks, including audits, government engagement, vendor management, and contract oversight. - Participates in compliance meetings to enhance visibility and connections across business functions.

- Created and led implementation of the Alliance for Business and Human Rights (ADHE), a platfform that aims to foster an ethical and responsible corporate culture. R$8M (USD 1.5M) secured in funding from 12+ corporations to launch the ADHE. - Created BHRGA (Business & Human Rights Gap Analysis), an innovative, authomatic, AI driven, self-diagnostic tool to promote business practices aligned with human rights. - Design and implementation of the programmatic area covering six of the ten principles of the UN Global Compact (Human Rights and Labor) and five of the ten Movements of the Ambition 2030, in addition to the Human Rights Platform. - Organizing and curating national and international events with C-level executives, prominent panelists from the government and civil society, including Ministers, journalists, and various executives. - Scaled department from 2 to 15 FTEs, leading senior and administrative teams, including 4 direct-report senior managers. - Spokesperson for the organization on human rights and labour issues.

- Stakeholder Engagement mobilizing 60+ companies to sign the Women Empowerement Principles (WEPs), while deploying advanced gender-responsive procurement and digital equity tools - Developed and led the multisectoral private-sector engagement strategy, involving private-sector companies, foundations, multilateral organizations, women entrepreneurs, business leaders, relevant national authorities, and subnational governments, while supporting implementation. - Leading role in advocacy campaigns tackling online harassment and AI bias. - Developed 50+ knowledge products (gender-responsive procurement, care economy) in 3 languages. - Participation in the working group on innovative finance and gender bonds at UN Women headquarters. - Management of senior consultants and the administrative team of the Win-Win Program (in cooperation with ILO and financed by the EU).

Strategic Consulting & Program Development - Provide strategic consulting to companies and institutions, designing and implementing programs in DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion), gender equality, and women’s leadership development. - Conducted 500+ coaching and mentoring sessions for women, focusing on career acceleration, leadership skills, and DE&I advocacy (including train-the-trainer and mentor-the-mentor initiatives). Workshop Design & Facilitation - Develop and lead interactive workshops and training programs on topics such as: (i) Human rights and corporate social responsibility (CSR) (ii) Women’s leadership, empowerment, and workplace diversity (iii) Career planning and impact-driven business strategies Thought Leadership & Public Speaking - Invited speaker and moderator at conferences and forums on DE&I, gender equity, and leadership. - Academic Collaboration and professor for the "Politics by.for.of Women" program at Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), teaching Leadership and Emotional Intelligence.

Legal & Compliance Leadership: Built and led the Legal and Compliance department from the ground up for the South Cone region, ensuring compliance with Brazilian regulations (MAPA, ANVISA, MPT, Bacen) while managing negotiations with customers, suppliers, and government agencies. Key Achievements: Cost Optimization: Reduced outside counsel and supplier fees by 50% through strategic partner reviews and budget realignment, implementing monthly financial reporting. M&A & Business Expansion: Played a pivotal role in buy-off negotiations of Brazilian partners and structured the legal startup process for South American operations. Governance & Compliance: Developed Corporate Compliance, Social Responsibility, and HR programs aligned with PMI and RBM frameworks, mitigating risks and enhancing governance. Operational Efficiency: Created legal KPIs, standardized contract templates, and optimized department workflows, improving cross-functional collaboration. Stakeholder Management: Acted as a trusted business partner to leadership, advising on commercial, corporate, HR, and regulatory matters while managing litigation and compliance risks. Team Leadership: Mentored and developed legal talent, including expatriating professionals to other affiliates.

Strategic Legal Leadership: Oversaw legal and compliance for 14 Business Units across Brazil and Argentina, reporting to the Global General Counsel and Mercosur CEO, while driving business strategy in corporate law, contracts, labor, IP, and regulatory affairs. Key Achievements: Cost Savings & Efficiency: Cut legal budget by 20% in 2013 and secured R$17M in provision reversals + R$9M in labor litigation withdrawals through process improvements. Major Projects & Crisis Management: Led legal strategy for factory closures (São Bernardo do Campo) and launch of 4 new plants (Pernambuco), handling land negotiations, tax structuring, and supplier agreements. Compliance & Risk Mitigation: Conducted antitrust due diligence, implemented settlement policies for labor disputes, and reduced outsourcing risks through updated compliance practices. Operational Excellence: Designed corporate act templates for Mercosur entities and introduced KPIs to track legal performance, improving decision-making. Stakeholder Engagement: Negotiated TACs (Term of Adjustment of Conduct) with Public Attorney’s Offices and managed crises, including strikes, recalls, and supply chain disruptions.

Core Responsibilities: Provided strategic legal support across corporate, compliance, and litigation matters while optimizing legal operations. Key Contributions: Litigation Reduction: Decreased civil lawsuits by 20% and cut contingencies by 10% through proactive risk management. Process Innovation: Spearheaded an interactive licensing control tool with IT, improving regulatory tracking. Cost Control: Reorganized budget management, implementing monthly expense reports and reducing legal spend. Compliance & Training: Supported HR and Corporate Affairs in Social Responsibility and Compliance programs, drafting policies and training employees.

Research focus: Democracy and Inequalities Interrupted

Research focus: Gender Responsive Care Policies