Global Standards consultants are dedicated professionals with extensive experience working in Asia. Consultants are selected based on their knowledge of corporate social responsibility, research skills and ability to communicate with people in the local language.
Our assessors are well versed in local laws and international standards in labor, health, safety and the environment. Lead auditors are additionally trained and certified in international systems such as SA8000, WRAP, OHSAS18001 and ISO14001.
Global Standards was accredited as Independent Monitors for Vietnam by the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and WRAP in Washington D.C.
The senior management team includes:
Chau Nguyen
Executive Director
Born and raised in Vietnam, Chau continued her studies in Business Administration, Accounting and Financial Management at Ryerson Polytechnic in Canada.
While in Canada, Ms Nguyen gained an inside knowledge and understanding of the apparel industry, working on the production line of a Canadian manufacturer. She was later promoted to administration, managing payroll and human resources for the factory.
From 1999 to 2000, Ms Nguyen worked for Adidas as the company’s first resident Labor Auditor for Vietnam, charged with setting up monitoring systems for the company’s main contractor factories. She has led social audits on numerous footwear and apparel factories in Vietnam and is a trained auditor in FLA, WRAP, SA8000 and ISO14001 standards.
Carey Zesiger, MA, MBA
Development Manager
Carey was born in New York City and graduated with a BA from Yale University and an MBA from UC Berkeley. He studied Vietnamese language at the University of Hanoi in 1992-1993.
Based in Ho Chi Minh City since 1995, he has consulted on projects in software, media, and manufacturing. He has experience in health, safety and environmental standards and is a trained auditor in FLA, WRAP, SA8000 and ISO14001 standards.
Alex H Kaufman, PhD
Senior Advisor
Over the last 20 years, Alex has collaborated with North American and European organizations to raise working standards throughout the Asian region.
In 2000, he developed a non-profit voluntary labor standards training program for the Thai government in cooperation with private sector organizations under USAID funding. In 2008, he trained and managed a team of Thai researchers to conduct social audits of corn plantations.
Alex completed a PhD. in 2012 at the Faculty of Environment and Resources Studies, Mahidol University. He has conducted extensive research on rice agriculture, fisheries and the implementation of codes of conduct in Thailand. He serves as a visiting lecturer at a number of universities.
As a volunteer, Alex has provided ongoing assistance with rice marketing and sales to the Moral Rice Foundation in Thailand.
In his consultancy work at Global Standards, Alex has worked in Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. He continues to train and lead social auditors throughout the region.