TrustWorks Global

What TrustWorks Global does

TrustWorks Global Sarl is a Swiss-based boutique advisory firm, founded in Geneva in 2013, that specialises in responsible business and investment in conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs). It serves multinational corporations (including Shell, Nespresso, and Novartis), development finance institutions (FMO, Proparco, IDB), impact and institutional investors, governments, and international organisations, with on-the-ground conflict sensitivity and heightened human rights due diligence (hHRDD+) services. The firm is led by founder and CEO Josie Lianna Kaye (PhD, University of Oxford) and draws on a senior bench of former ICRC, UN, Red Cross, and CDA Collaborative Learning practitioners, supported by a core team of approximately 18 staff plus independent in-country consultants.

The firm's product portfolio is a mix of proprietary advisory methodologies and one data analytics product. Core methodologies include the hHRDD+ framework, the Company Benchmarking Methodology, the proprietary FCAS Index (drawing on the Geneva Academy RULAC and OECD States of Fragility), the Operational Peace & Conflict Capacity Assessment (OPCCA), the Peace Impact Framework, and the Peace Finance Framework (supported by a dedicated microsite). The only software-style asset is PeaceEYE, a data-driven conflict analytics platform co-developed with Tunis-based AI/data partner MajestEYE. There is no public API, no mobile app, and no platform business; distribution is entirely direct, senior-led enterprise consulting.

The commercial model is quote-based, multi-year professional services with three revenue streams: advisory and consulting engagements, training and capacity building, and active investor stewardship (exemplified by the Cadmos Peace European Engagement Fund with De Pury Pictet Turrettini, which has logged over 900 engagement meetings). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and engagement economics are tailored to scope, team composition, and field-deployment complexity. The firm is founder-owned, privately held, and operates without disclosed external investors.

Name

TrustWorks Global

Legal name

TrustWorks Global Sarl

Website

https://trustworksglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TrustWorks Global is a Geneva-based boutique advisory firm, founded in 2013, that helps multinationals, DFIs, investors, and governments operate responsibly in conflict-affected and high-risk areas via proprietary hHRDD+ methodologies and on-the-ground field assessments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conflict-Sensitive Business Advisory

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Supply Chain Risk, Resilience & Business Continuity (BPAHAHAH)

Keywords

• Conflict-sensitive advisory
• Human rights due diligence
• Responsible business consulting
• Peace finance advisory
• Humanitarian law consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advisory and Consulting Services: Tailored consulting engagements including conflict-sensitivity assessments, heightened human rights due diligence (hHRDD) assessments, training, mentoring, accompaniment, and action plan implementation for companies and investors operating in conflict-affected areas.
2. Training and Capacity Building: Design and delivery of tailored training programmes, workshops, and facilitation guides on conflict-sensitivity, hHRDD, and responsible business in conflict areas for corporate staff, investors, and governments.
3. Engagement and Stewardship Services: Active investor stewardship engagements with portfolio companies on responsible business practices in conflict-affected areas, such as the partnership with De Pury Pictet Turrettini for the Cadmos Peace European Engagement Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TrustWorks Global is a boutique advisory firm that delivers tailored consulting services for organisations operating in conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs). Its core offerings span heightened human rights due diligence (hHRDD) and conflict-sensitivity assessments, corporate governance roadmaps, board sensitisation, training, action plan implementation, ongoing monitoring, crisis management, and active investor stewardship, supported by a portfolio of proprietary methodologies and field-based due diligence in high-risk geographies.

Product overview

TrustWorks Global is a Swiss-based boutique advisory firm specialising in responsible business and investment in conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs). The company does not offer a unified software platform but provides a portfolio of proprietary methodologies, frameworks, and advisory services. Key proprietary offerings include the hHRDD+ methodology for heightened human rights due diligence assessments, the Company Benchmarking Methodology for evaluating portfolio companies, the FCAS Index for conflict-affected country prioritisation, the PeaceEYE data analytics platform developed with MajestEYE, the Peace Impact Framework for SME facilities, and the Operational Peace & Conflict Capacity Assessment (OPCCA) tool. These tools support the company's core advisory services for companies, investors, and governments & international organisations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advisory Services for Companies Tailored advisory services for multinational corporations operating in conflict-affected and high-risk areas, including conflict-sensitivity assessments, heightened human rights due diligence, corporate governance roadmaps, board sensitisation, training, action plan implementation, ongoing monitoring, crisis management, and mediation/facilitation.
• Advisory Services for Investors Advisory services for development finance institutions, commercial investors, institutional investors, and private banks operating in conflict-affected settings, covering global and country strategies, in-country assessment and due diligence, customer/client screening, ongoing active stewardship, company benchmarking using a proprietary methodology, and training.
• Advisory Services for Governments & International Organizations Advisory services for governments and international organisations working on integrating conflict-sensitivity into development programmes and engaging business actors in peace mediation and peacebuilding, including conflict analysis, conflict-sensitive programming, implementation support, strategic planning and partnerships, risk and crisis management, process design and facilitation, strategic reviews and evaluations, and training.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 900 engagement meetings with portfolio companies leading to tangible progress on sustainability and SDG integration

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, significant and minor.

• One Earth Future FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023Partnership to catalyze efforts supporting a thriving and resilient private sector in fragile and conflict-affected settings. TrustWorks provides conflict-sensitive investment frameworks, advisory services, impact measurement, and tailored peacebuilding support to SMEs in the OEF portfolio.
• De Pury Pictet Turrettini (PPT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022Strategic partnership to integrate peace and stability into the Cadmos Funds. TrustWorks provides expert-driven engagement with portfolio companies on responsible business in conflict-affected settings, supporting companies to minimize negative and maximize positive impacts on peace and stability.
• European Institute of Peace (EIP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-implementation of the Environmental Peacemaking in Liptako Gourma project, addressing environmental and natural resource-related drivers of conflict in the tri-border region between Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
• MajestEYEcoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership with Tunis-based data science and AI experts for the PeaceEYE platform - a data-driven solution for conflict analysis and monitoring in fragile settings. Part of the Peace Impact Framework initiative.
• FMO (Dutch Development Bank)significantStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngagements with the Dutch Development Bank on responsible investment in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
• Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)significantStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngagements with the Inter-American Bank on development finance and responsible business in conflict-affected areas.
• ProparcosignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment finance institution partnership for responsible business in CAHRAs, including workshops on ESG standards in fragile settings.
• UNDPsignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for hHRDD training programme development and joint publications on responsible business in conflict areas.
• UN Global CompactminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSignatory to UN Global Compact, participating in events and initiatives related to corporate sustainability.
• PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPRI signatory, collaborating on enhancing investor action on human rights due diligence.
• UNDPsignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency partner for responsible business and conflict sensitivity work.
• Swiss FDFAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment cooperation for responsible business in CAHRAs.
• UK FCDOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office cooperation for responsible business in CAHRAs.
• Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign AffairsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding support for Environmental Peacemaking in Liptako Gourma project through Directorate of Defence.
• SFG (Sustainable Finance Geneva)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on peace finance and sustainable investing in Geneva.
• adelphiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate, environment, and peace consultancy partnership.
• NIRASminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational consulting partnership on development and peace-related projects.
• SteptoeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal expertise partnership for responsible business in CAHRAs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Alert: International Alert is a leading peacebuilding NGO that advises companies, DFIs, and governments on responsible business in conflict-affected areas. Directly comparable to TrustWorks in CAHRA advisory, conflict-sensitivity training, and policy work, with similar enterprise and government client base.
• swisspeace: Swiss-based conflict transformation and peacebuilding consultancy/research institute with overlapping advisory offerings on conflict-sensitive business practice, peace financing, and corporate responsibility in fragile settings. Geographic and methodological overlap with TrustWorks' Geneva operations.
• Conciliation Resources: International NGO offering peacebuilding advisory and conflict-sensitivity services to companies, investors, and governments. Overlapping methodology on responsible business in conflict-affected areas and shared client segments (multinationals, DFIs, governments).
• adelphi: German think-tank and consultancy working at the intersection of climate, environment, and peace. adelphi is a disclosed TrustWorks partner with overlapping methodology around conflict-sensitive resource governance, environmental peacemaking, and advisory for DFIs and governments in fragile settings.
• European Institute of Peace (EIP): Brussels-based peace institute that co-implements projects with TrustWorks (e.g., Environmental Peacemaking in Liptako Gourma). Comparable mission and client base around business actors in peace processes and conflict-affected area advisory.
• CDA Collaborative Learning Projects: CDA is the closest direct peer - a US-based consultancy specializing in conflict-sensitive business practice and responsible business in conflict-affected areas. Multiple TrustWorks senior advisors (Sarah Cechvala, Ben Miller) came from CDA, and both firms sell similar stakeholder engagement and hHRDD advisory to companies and investors.
• NIRAS International Consulting: International development consultancy with peace and fragility practice, listed as a TrustWorks partner. Overlaps on conflict-sensitive programming, peacebuilding advisory, and DFI/government client work in FCS contexts.

Emerging players

• Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP): Produces the Global Peace Index and peace-economy analytics used by investors and corporates for conflict-risk screening. Adjacent in the peace-finance and conflict-analytics space where TrustWorks' PeaceEYE platform and FCS Index also play.

Broad incumbents

• Verisk Maplecroft: Major ESG and political risk data/analytics provider with conflict-risk indices (e.g., Political Risk Atlas). Adjacent competitor in the conflict and human rights risk data layer that informs enterprise hHRDD decisions.
• Steptoe & Johnson: Major international law firm with sanctions, compliance, and human rights practices relevant to CAHRA operations. A disclosed TrustWorks partner, they offer broader legal and compliance services that include the hHRDD/responsible-business niche where TrustWorks competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trustworksg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TrustWorks Global