Speakers

Kuldeep is Innovation Lead at Field Ready and Social Innovation Fellow at BRAC. As a development practitioner working in the humanitarian innovation sector since 2015, he designs products and processes for crisis response with an aim to bridge traditionally isolated sectors through cross-cutting innovation projects. While focusing on engineering and technology, he specializes on design, development, prototyping, and piloting/partnering with other grassroots organizations for scaled implementation of projects.

Dr Muhammad Azmat is Assistant Professor in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and Deputy Programme Director (Post-Graduate Programme) at the Department of Engineering Systems and Supply Chain Management at Aston University, UK. He comes from a Business and management background, with a Master’s & PhD in transport, logistics and supply chain management from Vienna University of Economics and Business. He is also an alumnus of the Oxford Leadership Program, University of Oxford. Dr Azmat’s research interests focus on making a case for using autonomous and disruptive technologies for humanitarian and commercial logistics & supply chain management. He also focuses on consumer perspectives and innovative business applications of these technologies.
 
At HHL2022, Dr Azmat will be presenting a key note speech on “Using Autonomous drone swarms for precision aid delivery in a post-disaster context”. We have come a long way from using drones in military settings only, now drones are being used for all the things from search and rescue missions to precision agriculture. Building up on the recent advancements in drone technology and recent development of drone uses in commercial setup. The talk proposes ways of using Drone Swarms for precision aid delivery, touching on the recent natural and man-made disasters in Pakistan and Ukraine respectively.

Claire Barnhoorn is a long term humanitarian, working for about 15 years in humanitarian aid; from field operations to logistics and supply chain, with a growing focus on data and enabling supportive technology. She held various positions within  MSF (Doctors without Borders) as well as supported various other NGOs and UN agencies. She interacts between humanitarian agencies, academics, entrepreneurs and private sector. Over the last years she is dedicated  to accelerate the urgently required system change, to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and responsibility within the humanitarian sector.

Claire is the founder and CEO of Solvoz and Solvoz Foundation. The Solvoz platform provides procurement support for organisations in LMICs (aid agencies, health facilities, social impact organisations, NGOs, CSOs). In addition, Solvoz enables open access knowledge and technical capacity for all, through an open access catalogue. Solvoz actively operationalizes the localization of aid, and increases the efficiency, transparency and ethical integrity of procurement. In addition supports NGOs to green our humanitarian responses by operational support in sustainable procurement. 

Gordon Brown is a supply chain management specialist with over 17 years of logistics management experience across a variety of challenging environments. As a supply chain professional and trade specialist, his roles have included project management, last-mile distribution, retail and pharmacy logistics, imports and exports, business development, and freight forwarding. Gordon spent 10 years working across Africa and parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. He also has experience working domestically on contracts for USAID, the Department of State, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense.

Franco-Australian dual citizen, Florent has over 18 years of experience in emergency response and logistics. After an initial 8 years in the commercial sector, he started his humanitarian career in conflict-affected areas for 4 years in Africa and then in HQ with Action Against Hunger (South Sudan, Liberia, DRC Congo). He then joined the Australian Red Cross where he worked as DM and set up the Logistics department of the International department of the ARC. One of his achievements was the setting up of the Brisbane shared warehouse (with Oxfam, WV, and AusAID counterparts). He then crossed over to join the French Red Cross in New Caledonia where he set up the regional emergency response platform (PIROPS).

The WFP recruited him to work as part of the Global Log Cluster Support Cell (GLCSC) in WFP Rome where, once again, his portfolio was Central and Western Africa. He opened logistics clusters in Mali, Mauritania, Central Africa and Pakistan.

Florent worked for 3 years as the Zone Logistics Coordinator for the IFRC in Kuala Lumpur for the Asia Pacific Zone, mostly implementing logistics preparedness projects (capacity building) as well as managing large disaster responses and in-kind mobilisation at global level (for Haiyan in the Philippines and the Nepal earthquake).

Finally, as the Head of Office and then Logistics cluster coordinator he oversaw 7 large logistics preparedness programmes including pre-positioning, and the creation of a Pacific Stockpile mapping.

Nirpa Dhami is an experienced humanitarian operations specialist with primary logistics and supply chain skills with 12 years of meaningful working experience in International NGOs which includes financial management, project management and Supply Chain Management and Logistics in both emergency and non-emergency settings.

Nirpa is a Regional Supply Chain Management Advisor at World Vision, Asia providing leadership in Supply Chain Transformation and change management. Implementing the Global strategic approach, ensuring governance, capacity building, compliance and risk management of the eighteen countries in the Region with effective coordination and communication skills. Moreover, I love to read research articles and management-related books and I am considering myself a practitioner hence I have published action research and white papers on humanitarian supply chain resilience, and sourcing strategies.

George Fenton is an experienced consultant and evaluator, working with both the aid and private sectors, in the fields of emergency preparedness, response and logistics, including digital cash transfers and market-based interventions. He is an expert in humanitarian supply chain management with over 30 years of experience and is a leader in his field, having co-founded: the Humanitarian Logistics Association, a global humanitarian logistics community of practice and professional development body; the global Fleet Forum which promotes aid transport knowledge sharing, road safety and capacity building; and the East Africa Inter-Agency Working Group for disaster preparedness. George has also played an influential role within international fora such as the World Humanitarian Summit and the Humanitarian Response Network. 

George has led and managed emergency operations and logistics teams to ensure successful multi-million dollar responses to a wide range of global humanitarian crises over the past decade. Constantly seeking new challenges, he uses his academic, private and aid sector networks, broad management experience and versatile skills to support improvements to the delivery of aid by influencing practical, innovative changes to ways in which resources are used.

As a senior executive George has worked for the United Nations and several of the world’s largest non-governmental organisations, leading the development of new technologies, such as mobile data solutions to facilitate cash transfers, developing national supply chain capacity, and managing key relationships with a broad range of stakeholders. He has recently been involved in several UN and donor evaluations of emergency preparedness, response and logistics services in East Africa.

Susan began her career in the British Army, serving for 22 years in locations such as Hong Kong, Nepal, Germany, Cyprus, Sierra Leone and Iraq. She then transitioned into the humanitarian sector, working with a range of organisations, including the American Refugee Council, International Rescue Committee, Concern and GOAL across various functions including programme, logistics, security and operations as well as in country management. Sue took on her current role as Head of Humanitarian Supply Chain for Save the Children in 2017, where she leads a team working to make improvements in the humanitarian supply chain.

Mr Paul Molinaro currently serves in WHO Health Emergency Programme, heading the Operations Support and Logistics team. A national of Kenya, he holds a master’s degree in Defence Logistics Management, from Cranfield University in the UK.  Prior to joining WHO last year, Paul was the Supply and Logistics Chief in the UNICEF Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa. His professional experience also includes other assignments within the UNICEF Supply Division, first within the emergency department, and subsequently with the Change Management Unit, as project lead to transform the global supply function. Paul has extensive experience in managing emergency supply and logistics operations around the world, starting on the Kenya-Somalia border in 1993. Between 1993 and 1999, he performed multiple logistics roles with UNHCR and CARE International.

Neil is a Supply Chain leader with multi-region & multi-sector executive experience living and working across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas in the international development, aid and relief, commercial logistics, international trade & engineering sectors. Coming originally from an engineering, supply chain & commercial logistics management background working in leadership roles with large multinational corporates; Neil has worked extensively with a range of INGOs in recent years in supply chain & logistics leadership roles, including International Rescue Committee, International Medical Corps, Save the Children UK and International, Merlin and serves on the Advisory Boards of the Humanitarian Logistics Association, the World Humanitarian Forum and Aviation without Borders-USA. With a passion for and expertise in developing countries, his objective is to drive excellence in high performing supply chain and logistics global operations through effective change management strategies & inspirational leadership with the aim of furthering outcomes for all stakeholders. Neil is also passionate about humanitarian causes; capacity building particularly at the last mile in developing countries and about the potential of the private sector in being an agent for sustainable positive change through effecting the right linkages and partnerships. Outside work, Neil is a doting and hands on dad to 2 children; and enjoys gardening, technology, sports and exploring new cultures.

My mission is to make 'massive small manufacturing' a reality - with millions of small-scale businesses making things needed locally by their communities. I'm focused on developing business models for manufacturing enterprises in the Global South, and helping to build the open knowledge base about local manufacturing and what digital infrastructure is needed to support it. Always learning. Love collaborating with awesome people.

Born in Split, Croatia on December 31, 1967. 
Pharmacist – Technician.
Employee of International Medical Corps (IMC) since March 1993. 

Senior Advisor for Logistics and Supply Chain Management based in Split, Croatia responsible for logistics and procurement related procedures and training development. Leads various special projects assigned by management. Joined International Medical Corps during crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Worked as Country Director or Head of Mission in several countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Indonesia, Iraq, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Chad and then joined IMC HQ as Deputy Director of International Operations in 2002 for one year. Until 2015 managed IMC Logistics department and had responsibility for overall coordination of logistics support to field missions worldwide. Was team lead or logistics coordination in over 30 disaster responses worldwide. Most recently led emergency responses to Central Croatia earthquake and West Europe floods response in in 2021, and is team member of the ongoing Ukraine crisis response. 

Master Trainer for Logistics and Procurement domain within National NGOs training projects implemented by International Medical Corps across Africa, Middle East and Asia.

Funding member of the Humanitarian Logistics Association (HLA) and contributor to Universal Logistics Standards (ULS) development as a member of the Technical Advisory Group.