Reshma Adatia

Reshma Adatia has been working in the international aid sector both in Canada and abroad for more than 15 years. She is currently the Global Humanitarian Coordinator for the ACT Alliance, based in Geneva, Switzerland since January 2015. The ACT Alliance is a network of 140 church and faith-based organization, working in more than 100 countries. In her role, she is responsible for global humanitarian advocacy and policy positioning, as well as overall responsible for the ACT Alliance Emergency Response Mechanism, which prioritises direct funding to local and national responders in emergencies.

Alastair Ager

Alastair Ager is Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. He takes up the position of Director of the Institute for International Health & Development at QMU, Edinburgh in July 2015.

Alice Albright

Alice Albright is Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education, which supports 65 developing countries to ensure that every child receives a quality basic education, prioritizing the poorest and most vulnerable living in fragile and conflict-affected countries. Click here for more on its work with such crisis contexts.

Talant Aldashov

Talantbek Aldashov is the Executive Director of the local Public Foundation Mountain Societies Development Programme in Kyrgyzstan (MSDSP KG), an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation. Talantbek has managed various multi-donor funded community-based development projects since 2006 for both MSDSP KG and ACTED. One key area of operations for MSDSP KG is disaster risk reduction (DRR), which includes the ECHO-funded project entitled DIPECHO focused on DRR in Kyrgyzstan.

Nadia Berger

Based in Goma, DR Congo, Nadia is Public Information Officer for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Børge Brende

Børge Brende (born 25 September 1965) is a Norwegian politician from the Conservative Party and has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs since 16 October 2013. He served as Minister of the Environment 2001–2004 and as Minister of Trade and Industry 2004–2005, and as a member of the Storting 1997–2009. Brende served as chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development 2003–2004. In 2005, he took up the appointment of international vice chairman of the China Council for the International Cooperation on Environment and Development (advisory board to the State Council).

Edmund Cain

Edmund J. Cain is the Vice President, Grant Programs at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation where he oversees all domestic and international grant programming. Prior to joining the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, he was Director of The Carter Center’s Global Development Initiative. He also had a long career with the United Nations in Malaysia, Myanmar, and Afghanistan, and was a U.N. Resident Coordinator in Turkey and in Egypt.

Lance Croffoot-Suede

Lance is co-head of Linklaters’ International Governance and Development Practices, and is a litigation partner based in New York. Lance counsels the for-profit, public and not-for-profit sectors on all manner of governance issues, including assessing, designing, implementing and monitoring client-centered governance models through to addressing challenges relating to fraud, corruption and economic sanctions regimes.

Craig Dean

Craig Dean works with young people around the world on Plan International’s project, Global Voice for Change, which supports them to connect, learn and advocate to tackle the issues they are concerned about. Craig was previously humanitarian information manager for Plan International. All views needn’t represent the view of Plan International.

Jan Egeland

Jan Egeland is the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. As UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator from 2003 to 2006, Jan Egeland helped reform the global humanitarian response system. After leaving the UN, he was Europe Director of Human Rights Watch and Executive Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

Antoine Gérard

Antoine Gérard is the Chief of the World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat. Prior to his current post, Mr. Gérard served as the Chief of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In the same office he held the position of Deputy Director of the Coordination and Response Division. He was the Head of OCHA’s Liaison Office to the EU and NATO in Brussels, influencing policy and decision-making related to humanitarian affairs. Mr. Gérard has a long history of humanitarian work in crises around the globe. From June 2006 to April 2009, he was OCHA Darfur Coordination Manager. Prior to this post in Sudan, he was the Head of OCHA in Burundi and Senegal and the Senior Humanitarian Adviser in Zimbabwe. From 1996 to 2002, he was the Advocacy Director for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), based in New York, liaising with the United Nations Secretariat and US Administration and Congress. He also headed Missions for MSF in several countries, including Sudan, Yemen, and the occupied Palestinian territory between 1993 and 1996. Mr. Gérard holds an advanced degree in Arabic Language and Middle-Eastern studies from the French National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Institut des Langues et Civilisations Orientales - Paris) and Sorbonne University degree in French Comparative Literature.

Mariko Hall

Based in Geneva, Mariko manages and leads global communication and Information Management efforts for the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC).

Obed Kabanda

Obed co-founded ACODEV in 2003 and currently sits as the Executive Director. Obed is an international consultant of Human Rights Based Approach to Programming (HRBAP), Leadership Development Program for Health (LDP), Public Private Partnerships (PPP) and Child Rights Education for Professionals.

James Kisia

Dr. James Kisia is Executive Director of the International Centre for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Secretary-General of Kenya Red Cross. Prior to joining Kenya Red Cross, James worked for the Government of Kenya as a medical officer in disaster- and conflict-prone areas of northern Kenya. James trained as a Medical Doctor in the West Indies and holds an MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an MA in Practicing Management from Lancaster University Management School.

Dave Levin

Dave Levin is a social entrepreneur and impact investor specializing in the use of advanced technology to help those who have lost everything. He is the Founder & Executive Director of Refugee Open Ware, a global consortium that is building an ecosystem for humanitarian technology and open innovation. Jamil Wyne is the Director of Research at Refugee Open Ware. He worked in the MENA region for over six years and founded the Wamda Research Lab, the largest research program focusing on MENA startups. Loay Malahmeh is the Co-founder of 3Dmena; a hardware incubator and social innovation hub located in Amman - Jordan. Founding Partner of Fab Lab Amman, Fab Lab Irbid & Refugee Open Ware.

Sean Lowrie

Sean Lowrie is the Director of the Start Network, a consortium of 24 leading NGOs working together to strengthen the humanitarian aid system. The consortium works in three areas: Start Fund (financing for emergency response); Start Build (strengthening civil society capacity); and Start Beta (creating platforms for partnerships and learning).The network extends to nearly 7,000 partner agencies, comprised of over a million staff working in 200 countries and territories.

Jemilah Mahmood

Dr. Jemilah Mahmood is the Chief of the World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat and has more than 15 years of experience working in disaster affected countries. She was the Chief of Humanitarian Response at United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in New York from 2011-2009, and from 2013-2011 was concurrently a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Humanitarian Futures Programme at King’s Policy Institute, King’s College London, and worked on private sector and military roles in disasters as well as engagement with a diverse set of humanitarian actors. She is also a medical physician and the founder of MERCY Malaysia, one of the most successful humanitarian organizations from the global south, leading it for a decade. Dr. Mahmood has worked closely with regional organizations, particularly ASEAN, and has been an active member of several humanitarian international boards.

Islam Mardini

Islam Mardini started taking photographs when he was 14 years old. Since 2012 he has been a humanitarian volunteer and joined the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in 2014. As part of the Media Committee he’s in charge of taking photos during missions at the front line. Mardini has participated in the photography exhibition ''Principles Embodied in Scenes” organized by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and produced several documentary films. Mardini is teaching Photoshop and Design.

Butch Meily

Rene "Butch" Meily is president of the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation, one of the world's few permanent private sector disaster management organizations. He is also president of Pacific Global One, an aviation firm in Manila. Previously, he served as special assistant to the chairman of Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT). Prior to joining PLDT, he was head of corporate communications for TLC Beatrice International, a multinational food company based in New York and Paris.

Amjad Mohamed-Saleem

Amjad Mohamed-Saleem is a free-lance consultant from Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom and was born in Nigeria. In this capacity he has advised the Commonwealth Foundation, International Alert, among others. In this capacity, he also worked as the Head of Communications and manager of Conflicts Programme for the Cordoba Foundation. He has been country director of the NGO Muslim Aid in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He has also worked in Myanmar, looking at the role the private sector could have in reaching people that humanitarian organizations have trouble reaching themselves, and on issues of peacebuilding and the role of faith in conflict reconciliation in Asia.

Micheal Mosselmans

Michael Mosselmans is Head of Humanitarian Policy Practice Advocacy and Programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean at Christian Aid. He is co-chair of the ACT Humanitarian Policy and Practice Advisory Group. Michael has also worked in WFP, OCHA and DFID.

Mohammed Asad Muhaisen

Mohammed Asad Muhaisen is a photojournalist from Gaza, Palestine. He is one of the two winners of the World Humanitarian Summit photo contest “The Spirit of Humanity”. You can see more of Mohammed Asad Muhaisen’s work on his Facebook and Instagram profiles.

Paul Musser

Paul Musser is Vice President of International Development for MasterCard. Paul and his team partner with governments and international development organizations to create innovative technical and commercial solutions to tackle pressing development issues such as humanitarian response, financial identity, and government efficiency and transparency. These sustainable solutions further MasterCard’s commitment to create inclusive economic growth across the globe.

Tara Nathan

Tara Nathan is the Executive Director for International Development at MasterCard. Working with humanitarian and development organizations, the International Development team innovates and brings to market new solutions that serve the needs of the unbanked and underserved.

Stephen O’Brien

Mr. Stephen O’Brien is the Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Mr. O’Brien is responsible for the oversight of all emergencies requiring United Nations humanitarian assistance. He began the role of OCHA's USG/ERC on 1 June 2015, succeeding Ms. Valerie Amos.

Andrew Schroeder and Patrick Meier

Andrew Schroeder is the Director of Research and Analysis for Direct Relief, where he has been recognized by Esri and others for his work in applied geographic information systems (GIS) for global health and humanitarianism. He is a member of the core organizing group for UAViators and coordinator of the Humanitarian UAV Working Group for Nethope. Patrick Meier is an internationally recognized thought leader on humanitarian technology and innovation. He is the Founder of the Humanitarian UAV Network (UAViators). His new book, “Digital Humanitarians” has been endorsed by Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Oxford, UN, Red Cross, World Bank, USAID and others.

Peter Romich

Menka Sanghvi

Menka works across the Humanitarian Innovation Fund to improve innovation management practices. She supports funded project teams with their collaboration and prototyping efforts. Menka also leads the thematic investments in emergency water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Menka has a strong background in research and innovation for social impact, and has previously worked with Unilever, Oxfam, Impact Hub, and the United Nations. She holds an MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, and an MProf in Leadership for Sustainable Development from Forum for the Future.

Marcus Skinner

Marcus is HelpAge’s Humanitarian Policy Manager, and has worked for the agency for the last five years on policy, advocacy and research activities at both global and country level. Prior to joining HelpAge he worked in the policy team of Merlin, and held research positions in Afghanistan. He holds an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

Adam Smith

Adam is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of sQuid, the UK-based digital transaction solutions provider. He pioneered sQuid’s business model, building an alternative payments business based on proprietary contactless and transaction management technologies. sQuid’s digital platform has also been successfully applied in Education, through sQuid’s ‘iMlango’ programme in Kenyan schools - delivering digital Attendance Monitoring and targeted learning via the student’s digital account.

WHS staff member

The World Humanitarian Summit was initiated by the UN Secretary-General to improve global humanitarian action. It will culminate in Istanbul in 2016.

World Organization of the Scout Movement

The Scout Movement is a voluntary non-political educational movement for young people, open to all without distinction of gender, origin, race or creed. Scouting offers young people the opportunity to develop their full emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible global citizens, and as members of their local, national and international communities.

Hesham Youssef

Ambassador Hesham Youssef is Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He is an Egyptian diplomat and was chef de cabinet to the former Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa (2003-2011). Ambassador Youssef’s career as a diplomat began when in 1985 he joined the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. He went on to work at the Egyptian Embassy in Canada and then at the Egyptian mission to the UN and WTO in Geneva. He joined the Arab League as an official spokesman in 2001.