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United States Matthew S. Friedman is an internationally recognized expert and advocate against human trafficking and modern slavery, who works with governments, corporations, and non-profit organizations to combat these global issues.
Matthew Friedman is the CEO of The Mekong Club, an organization bringing together private sector leaders to fight human trafficking in Asia. He started The Mekong Club to share his expertise in global anti-trafficking efforts with professionals.
Matthew S. Friedman is listed as an author by Penguin Singapore, with 'Awakening the Advocate' and 'Where were you?' among his published books.
Matthew Friedman accepted the 2025 'Best-in-Class Advocacy Award' from ATII and Dark Watch, acknowledging his contributions to anti-human trafficking efforts.
Matthew Friedman, alongside his wife, Sylvia Yu Friedman, delivered presentations on human trafficking to 112 organizations, including Bank of America, across 17 US states.
Matthew Friedman, alongside his wife, Sylvia Yu Friedman, delivered presentations on human trafficking to 112 organizations, including Disney, across 17 US states.
Matt Friedman discussed ending modern slavery in business and supply chains, drawing from his book, 'Awakening the Advocate,' which shares stories from the front lines of human trafficking and forced labor.
Matt Friedman serves as an Advisory Council Member for MPAHT and contributed an article titled 'Where Were You?', discussing human trafficking.
Matthew S. Friedman grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, and has dedicated over 29 years to combating human trafficking and modern slavery. His career has focused on management, program design, evaluation, and frontline response in various countries, including Nepal, Bangladesh, and Thailand. He previously served as Regional Project Manager at the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP) in Thailand, coordinating efforts among the United Nations, governments, and civil society groups across China, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Prior to his work with UNIAP, Mr. Friedman was employed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Thailand, Bangladesh, and Nepal. In these roles, he was responsible for designing and managing country and regional programs specifically aimed at addressing human trafficking. In 2012, he founded The Mekong Club, a Hong Kong-based non-profit organization comprised of private sector business leaders. As Chief Executive Officer of The Mekong Club, he mobilizes businesses to identify and address modern slavery within their supply chains, bridging the gap between public and private sectors in the fight against human trafficking.
Throughout his career, Mr. Friedman has provided technical advice to numerous governments and corporations worldwide seeking to end slavery. He is also a prolific author, having written eleven books on various subjects, including fiction based on his counter-trafficking experiences and non-fiction works that raise awareness about modern slavery. His contributions have been recognized with awards, such as Public Affairs Asia’s Gold Standard Award for Communicator of the Year in 2017. He regularly shares his expertise through TEDx Talks and speaking engagements globally, and his work has directly impacted over 120,000 corporate entities.
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