André du Plessis (he/him) is an independent consultant on LGBTQ rights.

Born in Zambia, André is from South Africa and grew up in the UK and India and studied law at the University of Cambridge and UCL.

André was ILGA World’s Executive Director from 2017 to 2021. Prior to being appointed as Executive Director, André headed-up ILGA World’s advocacy work at the UN, assisting LGBTI organisations from around the world use the UN system to help bring change in-country, and led a challenging but successful civil society campaign to create the position of UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

He is a human rights lawyer, also with experience in the Corporate, Financial Services and Litigation fields in both London and Hong Kong.

Prior to ILGA World, he worked on business and human rights in conflict zones, environmental and trade justice issues, and also supported UN Special Procedures at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

He enjoys trail running, mountain biking, and teaching Sunday school at his local church.