Worked for twenty-five years in the field of humanitarian response, mainly with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Beginning with the International Committee of The Red Cross (ICRC) in Baghdad in 1991, work included the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in its field missions as Head of Delegation (Moscow, Damascus, Sri Lanka) and Head of Operations (Myanmar, Syria) and as Team Leader with British Red Cross (Kosovo, India). Holds the degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of St Andrews. Publications include reflections on the humanitarian response to the Rwandan refugee crisis in Goma, 1994