Martijn Scheltema is advocaat partner bij Pels Rijcken waar hij vanaf 1997 werkt. Vanaf dat moment is hij eveneens advocaat bij de Hoge Raad. Buiten de cassatiepraktijk houdt Martijn zich bezig met business human rights, klimaat en Sustainable Development Goals. Hij adviseert op dit gebied zowel overheden als bedrijven over de juridische aspecten, bijvoorbeeld in verband met relevante wetgeving, aanbestedingen, meer effectieve contractuele systemen dan veelal worden gehanteerd en in transacties. Hij is ook betrokken bij toonaangevende (internationale) procedures. Daarnaast adviseert Martijn over de effectiviteit van (internationale) zelf- en co-reguleringssystemen die hier alomtegenwoordig zijn.

Martijn studeerde civiel recht aan de Universiteit Leiden. Hij promoveerde eveneens aan deze universiteit. Hij is tegenwoordig als hoogleraar privaatrecht verbonden aan de Erasmus Universiteit. Ook is hij voorzitter van het geschillenbeslechtingsorgaan van het Nederlandse IMVO kledingconvenant. Hij heeft op dit terrein vele andere internationale functies. Martijn publiceert en doceert regelmatig. Ook spreekt hij op internationale conferenties over business human rights.

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Martijn Scheltema is partner at Pels Rijcken since 2005 and member of the Dutch Supreme Court Bar since 1997. He has been involved in Supreme Court corporate, enforcement, procedural issues, (international) arbitration setting aside proceedings. He has been counsel in several international landmark Human Rights cases with the Dutch Supreme Court (e.g. Urgenda). He has specialized in business and human rights issues since 2007. He is the only Dutch lawyer ranked in band 1 for business and human rights in the Chambers Global guide. He chairs the business and human rights practice group of his firm.

Martijn Scheltema is professor of private law at Erasmus University Rotterdam since 2011. He is one of the founders of the Erasmus Platform on Sustainable Business and Human Rights (https://www.eur.nl/en/research/erasmus-initiatives/dynamics-inclusive-prosperity/erasmus-research-platform-sustainable-business-human-rights) and co-chair of the Law & Sustainable Business research group of his faculty (https://www.eur.nl/en/esl/research/our-research/law-sustainable-business).

He holds several related functions. He is, amongst other functions, chair of the European Working Group on Model Clauses in supply chains, working on model clauses commensurate with the upcoming EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (with informal liaison with the European Commission and European Parliament). He is board member of the Business Human Rights Lawyers Association and chair of the binding dispute resolution body of the Dutch International Responsible Business Conduct Agreement in the Natural Stone Sector (as former chair of the same body of the Agreement in the Garment Sector). He is member of the advisory board of the Business Human Rights Committee of the International Bar Association (and former chair of this committee). He has served as expert to the ARP III project (regarding dispute resolution in this area) of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and has advised the Dutch government on legislative options in this field (on which its 2020 policy in field is based). He regularly speaks on this topic at international conferences, such as the annual conference of the International Bar Association, the annual UN Forum on Business and Human Rights. He also teaches about this topic, for example, in the Beroepsopleiding voor Bedrijfsjuristen of the Dutch Association of in house counsel (NVB), and is, for example, responsible lecturer of the (three day) course on ESG organized by Outvie. Finally, he regularly publishes on this topic.