Arise CEO meets Founding President - A conversation with John Studzinski and Ian Sweet.
- 2 hours ago
- 8 min read
Hello John, thank you for taking the time to sit and talk with me today. It's an exciting milestone for Arise Foundation as 2026 is our ten year anniversary. Ten years since you decided to create Arise to confront one of the most entrenched and often hidden injustices of our time; modern slavery and human trafficking. I have the privilege of leading Arise at the moment, but I am aware that I am a successor to many people who over the years have delivered the work for Arise. People, as with many organisations come and go, but one constant has been you, John. You founded Arise and have over the 10 years continuously supported us.
I think now is a great time to look back, before we look forward, and ask you about the last 10 years of Arise. I know you have a long history of philanthropy but when did you realise that trafficking & modern slavery was something you had to act on and build an organisation around?
Thank you Ian, for me, everything starts with human dignity, and ARISE grew to some degree out of my previous involvement with the organisation Human Rights Watch and its work in social justice. But the key moment came in 2015, when I heard from the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and Cardinal Michael Czerny about the work of Talitha Kum, which is headquartered in Rome. Its declared mission is to end human trafficking and to restore dignity through the transformative power of hope, compassion and mercy. On a practical level, as the leading grassroots organisation in its field, Talitha Kum guides and coordinates the frontline work of more than 6,000 Catholic sisters as they combat human trafficking.
In my discussions at the Vatican, it became clear that my experience in project work, communication, fundraising and mentoring could prove valuable in tackling, in a structured way, the whole issue of human trafficking and modern slavery. We are living at a time when more people are victims of slavery than at any other time in human history. Slavery is a fast-growing global business. If we are hoping to slow its progress and reduce the grave harm it causes, we have to take an approach that is both ‘businesslike’ and humanitarian.
Coming from a business background I understand the importance of a “businesslike” approach to a particular issue, what did you believe Arise specifically needed to play and what action did you initially take?
After hearing about Talitha Kum I needed to learn more about the workings of slavery and trafficking, so through my professional network in the US I connected with people like Cyrus Vance Jr, who was then New York County District Attorney, and with corporations such as Walmart and Nike, who obviously had concerns about any possible exposure to human slavery in their supply chains.
It became clear to me that, as a grassroots organisation, Talitha Kum would benefit from the support of an organisation like Arise, who are based in London with strong links to the US and with specific areas of focus to support sisters internationally, such as training for people on the frontline, advocacy for survivors, educating governments and the wider public about modern slavery and trafficking – and, of course, fundraising. That was the beginning of ARISE, which has obviously grown and evolved as an organisation since its beginnings 10 years ago.
Was there a moment of exposure that transformed modern slavery from an abstract injustice into a human reality for you?
I think it really struck home when I witnessed the work of the religious sisters in India, as they dealt with cases where young children had been trafficked – having sometimes been kidnapped. The evil, predatory nature of the traffickers became so graphically apparent. It made me feel protective of the children and protective of their human dignity.
Something else that hit me was the fact that so many children – and adults – are trafficked by people who know them, who are in their extended families or their community. Like so many other crimes, trafficking is not some kind of random occurrence. But the situation is exacerbated when people’s lives are disrupted – by crushing poverty, of course, but also by climate crises, by drought or famine, by war and displacement. If people are forced to leave their homes, parents and children can often become separated and the children become dangerously vulnerable to traffickers.
And, talking of things striking home, the chances are that a trafficked person might be working under coercion right round the corner from your home in a comfortable neighbourhood of London or New York or some other city or town. Modern slavery is everywhere, though we are not always aware of it. It is a human reality that we must not ignore.
Modern slavery can often be portrayed as a complex issue, what has your work with ARISE taught you about modern slavery that you think most people, even well-intentioned ones, fundamentally misunderstand?
Modern slavery asserts a huge presence – an estimated 50 million people are victims around the world. As a result, organisations – today as much as 10 years ago – often make the mistake of devoting their energies to identifying and bemoaning the magnitude of the problem rather than focusing on finding solutions at the grassroots level. Those solutions could lie in educating people about the risks they face, in practical prevention on the ground, or in helping survivors of trafficking and slavery to assimilate back into society after their trauma.
Rather than concerning themselves with the scale of the challenge, organisations would do better to start effecting change on the frontline. As Mother Teresa of Calcutta memorably told me: “You can only change the world one person at a time.” And you do that at grassroots level.
It surprises some people to learn that there are religious sisters around the world working at grassroots level on modern slavery and undertaking the often dangerous business of saving people from trafficking. But it surprises even more people to learn just how tenacious, fearless and successful sisters are in this hugely challenging and vitally important work.
Yes so true and it was only at the backend of 2025 that Arise helped organise the Sisters Against Trafficking Awards event held in Zambia where the sisters who work in this space were acknowledged and recognised. It was extraordinary to see the worldwide impact the sisters had on slavery and trafficking.
I know that your philanthropic acts are something that can be traced back to when you were very young having previously spoken about when as a young boy, you and your mother set up a soup kitchen for homeless people and your acts of kindness have continued from there, but how has your career in finance influenced or shaped your views on philanthropy?
If you work in finance, one of the key disciplines you learn is the efficient allocation of resources – and, as I said earlier, trafficking and slavery is a huge global business. We need to face up to the fact that it is embedded in our society, and, even if we are driven by compassion, a structured, ‘businesslike’ approach will help us achieve success in our combat. As in the world of finance, you need to be sure of your data, your details and your deadlines, and you need to set priorities as you manage projects systematically and work towards clear objectives. The difference is that, with trafficking and slavery, those projects aim to be life-changing at a profound level; they are about ensuring the safety and dignity of people who are or have been at terrible risk.
On a simpler level, if you are lucky enough to earn a good living – and people in the world of finance do – that means you have more money to give away … though on top of that you should always keep looking for other ways of giving too. It doesn’t always have to be about money, it can equally be about giving of your time or your particular talents.
You have mentioned a “businesslike” approach a couple of times now, how do you personally define success for ARISE?
As I’ve said, you can only change the world one person at a time, and for each of those people the changes matters. Society is understandably obsessed with metrics and numbers – you can’t say they don’t matter; but the focus should never be deflected from each potential victim and each survivor who needs to have their life restored – who needs, so to speak, to be reborn. Success lies in that rebirth. And some survivors go on to give proof of their strength by becoming role models for other survivors, by mentoring and nurturing them.
ARISE can certainly look back on numerous ‘individual’ successes of this kind over the last 10 years, but we must bear in mind that the organisation is still evolving. Its modus operandi is evolving because the whole space is still making the transition from ‘How do we understand the problem?’ to ‘How do we combat it and work with it?’ As I’ve implied, ARISE’s great strength lies in its capacity not just to talk about making change, but to effect change, to succeed, at grassroots level. There is, of course, still far more that needs to be done. For instance, I feel we need to have more and stronger models in place for taking people from being victims to being fulfilled survivors.
Have there been moments where the scale or persistence of modern slavery and human trafficking made you question whether meaningful change was possible? And what helped you continue?
I am reassured and inspired time and again by the energy and commitment of the religious sisters in the network around the world. What’s more they are disciplined and structured too – and great team players. In even the toughest situation, their faith, which is so fundamental to the lives they have chosen, gives them a confidence and determination that is as powerful as it is priceless.
What makes me intent on continuing is the knowledge that there is still so much more to be done to overcome trafficking and slavery. It remains a titanic challenge. My own faith comes into play here: I believe that God has called on me to provide support, and I can't give up on that calling.
I don’t want this question to appear vitriolic that’s not my intention, I know there is a long way to go to defeat modern slavery and human trafficking. Looking back over the past 10 years of Arise, what pleases you most about the work it has undertaken?
I think what makes me happiest is the gratitude and appreciation that religious sisters around the world express for the support they receive from ARISE. They really understand how valuable ARISE is for their work. In return, I have the greatest admiration for them, and the greatest respect for the unfailing dedication that they bring to everything they do for victims and survivors.
So we have looked back over ten years, let’s look to the future, the UN’s sustainable goal 8.7 is to eradicate modern slavery by 2030.
Do you think now is the time for a big push by all actors to make this goal a reality?
A big push is always necessary. None of us can take anything for granted. It concerns me deeply that, in the greater scheme of international affairs, modern slavery seems to have gone down the pecking order of priorities over the last few years. It is no longer a tier one issue, though I am pleased to say that the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, which was established in 2023 by Baroness Theresa May, is working to put it back at the top of the agenda. The Commission launched a flagship report at the United Nations in April 2025 and is now focused on implementing the recommendations that were made.
I know in your recent book “A Talent for Giving” you say time is one of the most precious things you can give, so thank you for your time today John and your insights into Arise Foundation.
The views and opinions presented in this article are solely those of the interviewee and do not reflect the official views or policies of Arise Foundation.
