Current job title: Adjunct Professor, UBC Faculty of Applied Science

Key interest areas: (a) International development, security & peacekeeping; (b) conflict resolution, disaster preparedness, response and resilient recovery; (c) good governance, sub-national institutions and consultative processes; (d) leadership & decision-making in crisis settings; (e) Nepal.

M.A. & LL.D hc, McMaster University. Lived and worked in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, the South Pacific and UN headquarters (New York), with UN Dept. of Peacekeeping, Unicef, UNOCHA, UNDP, UNOPS. Finished UN career at the rank of Assistant Secretary-General. Began UN career in social development and child rights. Progressed into application of humanitarian law, trauma recovery, social protection of civilians in armed conflict and/or disaster environments; into multi-disciplinary approaches to disaster risk-informed planning, disaster preparedness, disaster management, mitigation and recovery; into leadership of multi-disciplinary, multilateral teams and decision-making, negotiation and mediation in complex environments and situations of armed conflict. Worked innational government agencies and with sub-national government institutions and civil society organizations in the Global South, encouraging/listening to/accompanying local voices and leadership. Outside the UN, was President and CEO, Unicef Canada; worked at IDRC, CUSO; consultant to governments, international organisations and technology companies. Awards include: Officer of the Order of Canada; Meritorious Service Cross, CMA Medal of Honour, UNAC Pearson Peace Medal.