Paul Broadbent, the chief executive of the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), has died suddenly.
Broadbent, who was 54 and married with one daughter, died at his home in South Yorkshire on 27 December.
A former senior police officer, Broadbent became CEO of the GLAA (then known as the Gangmasters Licensing Authority) in January 2013. He was previously an assistant chief constable at Nottinghamshire Police.
In a statement announcing Broadbent’s death, the GLAA called him a “champion for the vulnerable and exploited”.
“He was a warm, funny, generous man, who cared deeply for GLAA colleagues and was hugely passionate about tackling the scourge of modern slavery and labour exploitation,” the statement said. “His death is a shattering tragedy for those of us who knew him and the world is a far poorer place without Paul Broadbent.
“Today, the GLAA family has lost its figurehead, its leader. We will grieve for Paul and his family and then set about honouring his legacy.”
The GLAA works to protect vulnerable and exploited workers, specifically in the agricultural and horticulture sectors. It was set up in 2005, in the wake of the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster, in which more than 20 Chinese cockle pickers died.
In 2015, CIPS signed an MOU with the GLAA and the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioners Office to drive accountability and transparency around modern slavery in supply chains.