Under Secretary General for Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services
Niamh Lawless has more than 30 years’ experience in the international not-for-profit, public and private sectors. Prior to joining IFRC she served as the Secretary General of the New Zealand Red Cross (NZRC), where she launched a new Strategic Plan that outlined the roadmap for the future of the NZRC.
A Chartered Accountant by profession, Niamh began her career as an auditor at Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) in Ireland. She served as an auditor in various companies and in the public sector, including with Irish Aid. She then spent a dozen years in leadership roles within finance and corporate services at Barnardos, eventually rising to the position of Deputy Chief Executive. Prior to becoming Secretary General of the NZRC, Niamh was Chief Executive of Scouts New Zealand.
Under Secretary General for Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization
Nena joined the IFRC in October 2020, havingworked on global development issues such as climate change, gender, and fragile and conflict-affected situations for over 30 years. This includes through her previous role as Vice President for Asia and Pacific for the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
At the IFC, Nena promoted development finance innovation in a variety of leadership roles, including efforts to build a new architecture for development finance with other institutions, governments and the private sector. She helped shape the World Bank Group strategy, working with the International Development Association on a pioneering private sector window to catalyse greater private investment in low-income and conflict-affected countries.
Regional Director for Africa
Mohammed Omer Mukhier-Abuzein has over 30 years’ experience in humanitarian operations management, development, representation and strategic leadership.
In his previous role as IFRC’s Deputy Regional Director in the Asia Pacific, he led programmes on disaster risk reduction, community resilience, climate change management, agriculture, food security, nutrition, community-driven development, livelihoods and National Society development. Mohammed has also held leadership roles in IFRC offices in Iran, Kenya, Pakistan and at our headquarters in Geneva.
Prior to joining the IFRC, Mohammed worked at the Ministry of Agriculture in Sudan, the Sudanese Red Crescent, Save the Children Canada, Action Aid UK, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Cranfield Disaster Preparedness Centre.
Regional Director for the Americas
Martha Keays has worked with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement for over three decades in various capacities, including managing complex emergencies and large-scale operations in Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
Martha began her career with the American Red Cross as a volunteer. She went on to manage cross-border programmes in partnership with the Mexican Red Cross before joining the IFRC in 1993 as the regional disaster management delegate in Nairobi. After heading the IFRC Regional Delegations in Guatemala and Fiji, she served as Senior Advisor to the IFRC Secretary General in Geneva before returning to the American Red Cross as their Regional Representative in East Africa.
Martha has also previously worked as US Peace Corps Country Director in Guatemala, Kenya and Colombia, as well as heading a US-funded development cooperation programme in El Salvador.
President
At the IFRC, Forbes most recently served as chairman of the organization's Audit and Risk Commission. Under her leadership, the commission has increased transparency and accountability to deliver life-saving assistance more efficiently around the world.
Kate’s Red Cross journey began in 1981 at her local American Red Cross Chapter in Phoenix, Arizona.
She worked to combat a surge of home fires impacting Indigenous communities, prevent drownings across the region and provide access to health services through special transportation programs. At local and regional levels, she improved safety and well-being through effective community engagement. Kate then served as the chairman of the local board of directors, regional chapter services board chair and then national chair of chapter services. In 2000, Kate assumed the role of Vice-Chairman of the American Red Cross Board of Governors and then the National Chairman of Volunteers. In these roles, she mobilized more than a million volunteers to deliver assistance, connect with local communities and provide training in their local communities.
In her professional life, Kate was most recently the Chief Financial Officer of Electric Applications Incorporated. With more than four decades of experience as a CFO, auditor and controller, she has held executive positions providing vision and inspiration to diverse groups. She specializes in managing complex, rapidly changing financial, utility and green technology businesses with geographically diverse multimillion-dollar operations, under strict financial compliance regulations.
In a volunteer capacity, Kate’s served as Chairman of the American Lung Association, a member of the Arizona State University Foundation Board of Directors, Chairman of the PSI Audit Committee, and on a variety of local and national boards.
Kate is the recipient of numerous awards, including the following: theHarriman Award, the American Red Cross premier award for outstanding volunteer service; Deborah Karr King Award Central Arizona Chapter, Red Cross Award for Outstanding Humanitarian Service; the Athena Award, the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce Award for Outstanding Business Woman; Public Service Award American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Award for Public Service; and the Arizona State Society of Certified Public Accountants Award for Service to the Society.
Regional Director for Europe
Ms. Birgitte Bischoff Ebbesen is the IFRC Regional Director for Europe covering 53 Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies in Europe and Central Asia. The Regional Director is responsible for implementing the IFRC mandated functions: Strategic and Operational Coordination; Membership Services and Humanitarian Diplomacy in the region.
The Regional Director currently oversees the Ukraine and impacted countries operation, which supports millions of people in and around Ukraine. In addition to relief, health, shelter and cash/vouchers, mental health is a key aspect of the support provided through this operation.
The Regional Director has more than 15 years’ experience working with the IFRC network and has previously been International Director of Danish Red Cross and Co-chair of the IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support.
Ms. Ebbesen is from Denmark. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Roskilde University in Denmark as well as a diploma in High-Performance Leadership from the Copenhagen Business School.
Director of the Office of Internal Audit and Investigations
Kris Wallace was appointed Director of the Office of Internal Audit and Investigations in May 2021, having previously worked as the IFRC’s Head of Internal Audit.
Before joining the IFRC, Kris spent the past decade working in audit and investigation leadership roles within the UK Government—including serving as Deputy Head of Audit and Investigations for the former UK Department for International Development (DFID).
During his career, Kris has led audits and investigations in more than 50 countries around the world, including in conflict-affected countries such as Sudan and Somalia. He has extensive experience in leading high-profile and media-sensitive investigations and led the development and implementation of DFID’s Safeguarding Investigation Team.
Kris is a longstanding member of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (CMIIA). He has a postgraduate Diploma in Audit and Consultancy as well as a master’s degree in Counter Fraud and Corruption Studies.
Under Secretary General for National Society Development and Operations Coordination
Xavier Castellanos Mosquera has more than three decades experience in National Society development, resilience building and emergency humanitarian operations at national, regional and global levels.
He has served the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in various capacities since 1981, when he started as a volunteer with the National Society of Ecuador. He joined the IFRC in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch in Central America.
Prior to his appointment as Under Secretary General, Xavier served as Regional Director for Asia Pacific. In this role, he provided strategic and operational leadership on disaster preparedness and response to COVID-19, tsunamis and earthquakes and other health and disaster-related emergencies. He has also previously served as Regional Director for the Americas, along with various other leadership positions across the Movement.
Secretary General
Jagan has extensive experience in leading effective and principled humanitarian response around the world and has dedicated his life to helping empower local communities.
He brings decades of experience in building and leading inclusive teams and forging trustful partnerships to address global challenges, ranging from climate to health, and from migration to protection, gender, and inclusion. He has also championed policies and programmes that promote youth engagement and volunteering, and that strengthen localization and accountability in humanitarian action.
He began his humanitarian journey as a youth volunteer with the Nepal Red Cross and has extensive experience in, and broad knowledge of, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Prior to being appointed Secretary General, he served as Under Secretary General for Programmes and Operations at the IFRC. He was also previously Chief of Staff and Regional Director for Asia Pacific, where he provided leadership during large-scale humanitarian crises and built resilient communities alongside National Societies and other partners.
An engineer by training, Jagan holds certificates in Leadership and Turnaround Management,Emerging Social Sector Leadership, and High Performance Boards.
A national of Nepal, he is fluent in Nepalese, English and Hindi and has basic knowledge of Urdu and Russian.
Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of the Secretary General
Christopher Rassi has worked in various roles with the IFRC, including most recently as Head of Country Cluster Delegation, based in Bangkok, Thailand and Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific. In this capacity, Christopher worked with National Societies in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as with IFRC leadership throughout Southeast Asia.
Before joining the IFRC, Christopher had several roles with the United Nations and in private law practice. He worked with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and with the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda in The Hague, Netherlands and Arusha, Tanzania. He was also a foreign law clerk at the Constitutional Court of South Africa in Johannesburg. He serves on the Board of the Jean-Pictet Competition in International Humanitarian Law.
Regional Director for Asia Pacific
Alexander Matheou has worked in the humanitarian sector for 20 years, both within and outside the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. He has worked across a variety of fields, including: disaster response, food security, social exclusion, displacement and migration, HIV/TB prevention and institutional development.
Prior to taking on his current role at IFRC, Alexander was the Executive Director of International at the British Red Cross.
Previously, Alexander held several high-level positions at the IFRC in Africa and the former Soviet Union. He was also Director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in India and worked for the Open Society Foundations and the International Finance Corporation in Russia and Central Asia. Alexander is a regular contributor of opinion pieces on humanitarian and development issues to an assortment of audiences and forums.
Regional Director for MENA
Dr. Hossam Elsharkawi has more than 30 years’ experience in the humanitarian sector. His career has included assignments in more than 35 countries, comprising volunteer and professional roles across the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Dr. Elsharkawi leads the efforts of the IFRC in the Middle East and North Africa—a region comprising 17 countries with a total population of more than 500 million people. Crises include protracted wars, natural disasters, malaria, cholera, dengue, and COVID-19.He and his team focus on strengthening local health preparedness and response, water, sanitation and hygiene, volunteer mobilization, emergency medical services, psychosocial support, food and non-food aid,and targeted assistance to refugees, migrants, and internally displaced people.
Dr. Elsharkawi always seeks to reach people and communities in ‘last mile’ settings and forgotten disasters where access is challenging due to physical challenges, insecurity, stigma and marginalization.As resources are always limited, he prioritizes assistance to the most vulnerable: women, children, sick/wounded, disabled, detainees, and the elderly.
Dr. Elsharkawi was formerly Vice President of Health in Emergencies, Learning and Innovation at the Canadian Red Cross, where he led the preparedness and response for complex humanitarian emergencies. He has also previously worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop guidance for medical teams responding to health emergencies in armed conflict and insecure environments.
Dr. Elsharkawi received his PhD in Health Management/Public Health from City, University of London. He received a Certificate in Health/Health Care Administration/Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and his Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta.
Alongside his role at the IFRC, he is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia and guest faculty at McGill where he teaches disaster response and health care in complex humanitarian crises.