William Rook is the Deputy CEO of the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, an organisation he helped co-found in 2018. He is a business and human rights lawyer with extensive experience establishing international initiatives and developing strategies to promote responsible business across global sectors. His background includes work in sport, construction, hospitality, security, and extractives, with a strong focus on labour rights in the Gulf. He has collaborated with companies, governments, international organisations, and civil society to advance human rights due diligence and worker welfare practices. 

From 2015 to 2019, William was based in Qatar with the Institute for Human Rights and Business, where he helped establish IHRB’s presence in the Middle East. He worked closely with the ILO, trade unions, civil society groups, and government agencies to strengthen labour rights in the context of the FIFA World Cup 2022. Earlier, he co-founded the Business, Human Rights and Environment Research Group at the University of Greenwich, trained as a solicitor with Slaughter and May, and practised as a regulatory investigations lawyer. 

William is co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Mega-Sporting Events & Human Rights and serves as a series editor for the Routledge Sport & Human Rights series. He has written on corporate leadership, governance, education, procurement, remedy, and human rights issues across multiple sectors. He sits on the Advisory Board of the UN’s Football for the Goals initiative and has served on oversight bodies and human rights boards for major tournaments.