Florence Foster is an accomplished researcher and social justice advocate with a wealth of expertise in diplomacy, human rights, arms control, and corporate responsibility. With over a decade of international experience, she has held pivotal roles engaging with the United Nations system, through which she has driven initiatives that notably address the far-reaching impact of business on global security, in particular the arms sector.

Most recently, as a Senior Project Manager at the Geneva Academy, Foster has leveraged her multidisciplinary expertise, strategic leadership skills, and deep commitment to fostering impactful change. Notably, she has socialized the Academy’s conflict classification tool with investors to ensure it guides their investment decision and continues to provide expertise on the notion of responsible business conduct in the arms trade, with a recent focus on processes, such as the Arms Trade Treaty, and other actors such as private military security companies. Before starting at the Geneva Academy, Foster led the Quaker United Nations Program on Peace & Disarmament in Geneva where her work consistently bridged policy and practice, by facilitating quiet diplomacy and expert discussions at the highest levels in and around the Arms Trade Treaty.

Her field experience spans challenging contexts, including the Central African Republic and West Africa. There she engaged directly with affected communities, government actors, and international organizations to reduce violence and protect civilians, including through the development of innovative processes for community security in post-conflict regions.