Debbie Coulter

Biography

"Debbie Coulter joined the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) as Head of Programmes in 2011. Bringing together company, trade union and NGO members, ETI’s programmes seek to drive long-term, sustainable change for workers in global supply chains.

"Debbie has vast experience of working with the clothing industry and considerable knowledge of workers’ rights within the sector, locally and globally. Her association with the garment sector began in the early eighties when, based in Barnsley, she worked for S R Gent Manufacturers, then major suppliers to Marks & Spencer. In 1987 she began working for the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers in Leeds and with the local industry for more than 15 years.

"Following a merger with GMB, Debbie went on to be elected Deputy General Secretary of the GMB in 2003. She served five years as an ACAS Council member and served as a commissioner on the Women and Work Commission into Equal Pay and on the Commission for Vulnerable Employment."