Published: September 7th, 2022,
Last updated: November 23rd, 2022
Elaine Pearson is the new Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division. Based in Sydney, she will oversee the department’s work in more than 20 countries. Pearson joined Human Rights Watch (HWR) in 2007 and previously served as Deputy Director of the Asia division and then built Human Rights Watch’s Australia office, where she most recently served as the organization’s first Australia director from 2013 to 2022. Pearson has led numerous human rights investigations in the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to HWR, she worked at the UN and numerous NGOs, including in Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Kathmandu.