Lawyer turned human rights advocate, Kerry Kennedy has become a leading voice in holding business and political leaders accountable worldwide. For more than 40 years, she has advanced her father, Robert F. Kennedy’s, legacy through global campaigns, championing corporate ESG compliance, confronting systemic abuses, driving policy reforms and achieving landmark legal victories across Latin America, Africa, and beyond. 

Recognised with accolades like the Medal for Social Activism and the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, Kennedy’s career embodies resilience and leadership, empowering communities, promoting equity, and advancing universal rights and justice.  

Kennedy spoke to CEO of The Beautiful Truth Adam Penny at One Young World in 2023. 

Do you think businesses are shifting their focus beyond short-term financial results to prioritise long-term, meaningful impact? 

There’s still immense pressure to keep shareholders happy. The whole system is set up to reward CEOs based on quarterly performance, so they can’t make long-term investments. If you’re only focused on short-term returns, it’s impossible to take a more meaningful, long-term approach. 

It’s hard to get the balance right. For example, if you wanted to make the best long-term investment today, you’d invest in the education of a young girl in Malawi. That would provide a 15% return per year for the next 40 years, but businesses can’t wait 40 years for a return under the current system. And this is why that girl remains in poverty. 

But you’re not against businesses making returns? 

Not at all. In fact, a lot of businesses are invested in by pension funds for teachers, firefighters, and municipal workers. These people deserve to retire with dignity. So, it’s essential for those investments to focus on maximising returns. But there’s a larger balance to strike – governments should guarantee a decent retirement, which would then allow businesses to focus on social justice and community needs instead of just maximising risk-adjusted returns. 

Do you think this conversation is different depending on where in the world you are? 

Yes, the regulatory environment in Europe is much stronger on things like ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance). Many of your readers will be familiar with ESG. In contrast, the US is seeing states pass laws that actually make it illegal to consider ESG when investing state funds. It’s absurd because ignoring those factors adds enormous risks. Can you imagine telling a financial advisor, “Yes, invest my money, but don’t worry about environmental or social responsibility!” It’s a reckless approach, but it’s now becoming law in some US states. 

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights drive a lot of impact around the world partnering with governments and local lawyers to navigate human rights violations. Do you think the pressure from the business community can make a difference? 

With 75 of the world’s largest economies being corporations, we can’t ignore their role in human rights. We work with investors to pressure companies into complying with international human rights standards. We also run human rights education programs from kindergarten through university. In Europe, we’ve seen the rise of ESG standards, which shows progress. In the US, we don’t have the same widespread adoption, but the fact that US companies doing business in Europe must comply with European law is promising. It will inevitably change how they operate back in the States. So, I’m hopeful. 

Have you seen significant progress over your career? 

When I started in the early 1980s, all of Latin America was under right-wing dictatorships. Today, not one remains. Eastern Europe was under communism, and now there’s not a single communist government left. South Africa was under apartheid, and now it has a majority-elected government. Women’s rights weren’t even on the international agenda until Hillary Clinton’s famous speech in Beijing. These are monumental shifts. But there’s still much work to be done, especially with climate change and global inequality threatening our survival.  

Someone said to me recently, “It’s difficult to rock the boat when you either own the ship or are the captain of it.” How do you see that playing out? 

Exactly. Do I think companies are eager to encourage all their employees to be activists, constantly pushing against the grain? No, the captains of these ships don’t want that. When I graduated from law school in 1986, no law schools taught human rights. Now, nearly every law school has a human rights program, which is a massive change. But when it comes to business schools, there’s only one – NYU Stern – that has a dedicated program for human rights. So, we need to train business leaders in human rights, just as we’ve done in the legal profession. 

So, how do we change the mindset of businesses to think beyond profits and focus on the communities they serve?  

It’s essential to ask businesses how they treat people in their supply chains. Are they aware of labour conditions? Is child labour involved? Are wages fair, even if they vary between countries? It’s not just about profit margins – it’s about providing safe working conditions, fair pay, and transparency. If a company can’t answer those questions, then building a school in a community won’t make up for it.