Stefanie is the Founder of the RULE OF LAW INITIATIVE. In a career spanning two decades, shas worked - globally and across sectors - with governments, leading research groups, prominent NGOs, commercial law firms and international organisations such as the German Ministry for International Development, the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights, Sherman & Sterling LLP and the United Nations in the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and Southeast Asia.

She completed a PhD on access to justice at Oxford, London and Cologne Universities and was trained as a civil judge, a public prosecutor and a human rights lawyer in Germany, litigating high-profile cases before UN human rights treaty bodies and the International Criminal Court. Her work has led to the publication of more than 70 papers, columns and books, and more than 60 talks. She is appointed to several EU and other international expert committees promoting democracy, civic space, gender equality, anti-corruption, and digitalisation.

Cong-rui is the face and heart of EnRoL! - The Human Rights & Rule of Law Speaker Series. She is the Legal and Cultural Lead at Law4Sustainability, a research-based advisory and training provider. She is a core analyst with projects funded by the Dutch government including Export Controls on Advanced Technologies and Sustainable Sino-European Knowledge Partnerships, and co-leads the international consortium Cultural Expertise and Fair Corporate Impact Initiative.

Previously, she held academic posts as Senior Researcher and Lecturer at the Free University of Amsterdam, Doctoral Researcher at Utrecht University, and Junior Researcher at the Netherlands School for Human Rights Research. Her work bridges law, culture and governance, adopting cultural approaches to advancing accountability and sustainability across governments, businesses and societies.