He was head of Transparency International from 2007 to 2017, and is a former chair of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Agenda Council on Corruption.
[1] In the 1980s and early 1990s, he was active in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, chairing the African National Congress in Cape Town.
[5] In 2021, de Swardt's book, Silencing a Whistleblower, was published, accusing Transparency International of abuse of power.
In addition, he served on the Board of the WEF Partnering against Corruption Initiative (PACI) and the Berlin Civil Society Centre.
[1] He wrote several articles for the WEF on corruption, including topics such as why businesses should be more open[7] and how to end poverty.