Human Rights Due Diligence In Pharma: Meeting increasing regulatory requirements around supply chain due diligence for modern slavery and human rights

Pharmaceutical and life-sciences companies supplying the UK and European markets are navigating increasingly stringent expectations around human rights and modern slavery due diligence. Recent UK developments — including strengthened guidance under the Modern Slavery Act and new NHS procurement regulations — are setting clearer standards for risk assessment, supplier engagement, and contractual oversight. In parallel, the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) introduces wide-ranging obligations for certain large companies to identify, prevent, mitigate, and remediate human rights and environmental impacts across their operations and global value chains. 

For organisations with complex supply networks involving active ingredients, contract manufacturers, logistics partners, and clinical suppliers, these frameworks collectively signal a shift toward systematic, defensible, and measurable due diligence processes that support access to public procurement, maintain market eligibility, and reduce legal and reputational exposure. 

This senior-level roundtable will bring together Chief Compliance Officers and senior ethics, ESG, and supply-chain leaders to examine: 

• How updated UK regulations and NHS procurement standards are translating into practical obligations for pharma suppliers, including risk assessments, supplier codes of conduct, and ongoing monitoring 
• The strategic implications of CSDDD for companies operating in or selling into the EU — and how UK standards may complement or anticipate emerging European expectations 
• Approaches to managing risk in multilayered, geographically dispersed supply chains, where visibility, traceability, and remediation are central to compliance outcomes 
• Strategies for building scalable due diligence programs that meet regulatory requirements while supporting operational efficiency and commercial goals 

The session will also briefly outline how Ethixbase360’s Modern Slavery and Human Rights Questionnaires (MSQ and HRQ), developed with NRF, can support organisations in assessing supplier risk, facilitating engagement, and aligning reporting with evolving UK and EU standards. 

This is a closed-door, peer-level session for leaders responsible for shaping compliance strategy across global value chains and preparing their organisations for the next phase of human-rights regulation in pharma and life sciences. Lunch will be provided.

• Date: Tuesday, 3rd March
• Time: 12pm–2pm
• Location: NRF Office, London
• Format: Roundtable with a catered/buffet lunch.
• Speakers: 
  

  Stuart Neely, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright UK
  Lise Smit, Business and Human Rights Adviser, Norton Rose Fulbright UK
  James Swenson, Managing Director, Ethixbase360
  Natasha Martin, Head of Product & Proposition, Ethixbase360 (Moderator)