Leanne MacMillan

Leanne MacMillan lead the small but mighty Global team, who work in partnership with over a hundred global LGBTI+ civil society organisations on a range of thematic programmes. These include projects on hate crime reporting, working with police, and working with LBT+ communities in over 20 countries to deliver on the promise of the UN Sustainable Development Goals through research and advocacy.

Her work with global workplaces includes ongoing analysis of human rights contexts globally. This supports Global Diversity Champions to be inclusive employers, no matter where they operate. They provide advice, thematic and country reports and build tools to share know-how, most recently, through the on-line e-learning platform ‘Equal Workplaces’. They support civil society to build workplace programmes in key markets where GDCs operate, most recently through a partnership with India. Finally, they actively support leadership structures in this sector through the Global Founding Partners and support the integration of global work across Stonewall.

They currently serve as civil society co-chairs of the Equal Rights Coalition comprised of 42 Member States, the World Bank and OECD, all working to progress LGBTI+ rights through multilateral and bilateral mechanisms. They are on the Advisory Council of the UN Partnership for Global LGBTI+ Equality to ensure that business delivers on their commitments to equality. They also lead advocacy and capacity-building work at a number of UN and regional fora, including the UN Forum on Business & Human Rights.

Before joining Stonewall, she spent three decades working with human rights defenders doing research, advocacy and capacity building in over 40 countries, and serving as the UN Head of Office for Amnesty International in NYC. Over the years, she raised millions in a range of currencies to support the work of partners around the globe – always a thrill!