Speakers

Anjana Dayal de Prewitt
Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultation, American Red Cross

Day 2 - Thursday October 3rd 2024 | 10:15am
Session 2: International Humanitarian Law over History

Anjana is currently serving as the Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for American Red Cross, National Headquarters. In the last 21 yrs., she has had the opportunity to work with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and Save the Children US in various leadership positions. She has worked in over 30 countries in humanitarian settings affected by disasters and armed conflicts, where she conducted situational analysis, designed and managed complex programs and budgets, developed training curricula, and build capacity of the local teams. She has developed program guidance and strategy pertaining to Community based Psychosocial Support, Child Protection, Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion.

She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lucknow University (India), a master’s degree in Sustainable Peace from UN Mandated University for Peace (Costa Rica) and Certification in Humanitarian Diplomacy from IFRC/DiploFoundation (Geneva). Recently, she completed certification in Peace Leadership program accredited by the Centre for Executive Education at the University for Peace, established by the General Assembly of the United Nations. In addition to her two books, Gudia: A Defiant Doll (English) and Papa ke Joote (Hindi), her work has been published in various peer reviewed journals. She's a polyglot, speaks English, Hindi/Urdu, and Spanish.

Kate Forbes
President of the IFRC

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 9:00am
Session 4: Welcome from IFRC President, Kate Forbes + National Society Presidential Panel

Kate Forbes is the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Inspired by her mother’s work helping migrant farm workers, Kate grew up understanding how hard people for a better life. Starting as a Red Cross volunteer at her local branch in Phoenix, Arizona, she now leads the world’s largest humanitarian network.

Dorien Ter Haar
Netherlands Tiffany Circle

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 1:00pm
Session 6: Spotlight on National Society Tiffany Circles

After having studied and worked in the United States, Spain, Hong Kong and the UK, Dorien resettled in her native Holland in 2003. Working in Corporate Communications for Shell and raising three children took up most of her time until 2015, when she was asked to set up the Netherlands chapter of the Tiffany Circle. She and her fellow board members have created a small but very active Circle, and have sponsored various successful projects supporting women and girls, within the Netherlands and abroad. Dorien also leads the Global Outreach workgroup of the Tiffany Circle International Council, supporting National Societies that want to set up new Tiffany Circles. Our latest outreach has been in West Africa, where a new Tiffany Circle has successfully been launched, and more discussions are underway!

Kate Halff
Head Of Division, Cooperation and Coordination within the Red Cross and Red Crescent

Day 2 - Thursday October 3rd 2024 | 9:10am
Session 1: Overview of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Kate Halff has been Head of ICRC’s Division for International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Cooperation since June 2020. She joined ICRC as Deputy Head of the Division in charge of Statutory meetings, policy and legal issues in January 2019. Until December 2018 she was the Executive Secretary of the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) an alliance of seven of the biggest humanitarian NGO networks, ICRC and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Prior to these Geneva-based positions - including her position as Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) - Kate worked for over twelve years primarily in East Africa, managing humanitarian responses, as Country Director for Action Contre la Faim, Oxfam and Save the Children. During that time, she also worked briefly for OCHA and as a management and humanitarian consultant. Kate Halff holds two Master degrees from Paris 3- Sorbonne, one in International Relations and one in Development. In June 2020, she became the President of the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (HQAI), of which she is also a founding member.

Pascal Hufschmid
Director of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent museum

Day 2 - Thursday October 3rd 2024 | 3:00pm
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum Tour

Pascal Hufschmid is an art historian specializing in photography. He has spearheaded multidisciplinary projects both within and outside Switzerland, drawing on his expertise in museology, the art market and international organizations. Since 2019, he has served as the Executive Director of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva. In that role, he has sought to foster dialogue between humanitarian action, art and research – and to bring a broader audience into the debate – through exhibitions such as To Heal a World. 160 Years of Photography from the Collections of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (2022).

Anna Hunt-Binkley
Geneva Forum Event Co-chair and Past National Co-chair of the Canadian Tiffany Circle

Day 1 - Wednesday October 2nd 2024 | 6:00pm
Welcome Reception; Journey of Humanity

Day 2 - Thursday October 3rd 2024 | 3:00pm
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum Tour

Day 3 - Friday October 3rd 2024 | 1:00pm
Spotlight on National Society Tiffany Circles

Anna has been described as a smalltown girl with a huge drive to see justice done and to help others. From western Canada, Anna is married and has three adult sons. Professionally, Anna is a lawyer who after practising law for a number of years made the decision to put her education to use in meaningful causes dear to her heart. Besides being involved with many non-profits over the years she served as an elected Public School Trustee for three terms always considering the best interests of the students, the parents and staff.

Anna became involved in the CRC Tiffany Circle in 2011 and is a Lifetime Member. She has assumed many committee chair positions including Co-chair of the CRC Tiffany Circle National Steering Committee. In addition, she has chaired two major CRC fund raising projects raising over 5.5 million. She also sits on the Tiffany Circle International Council and the Global Outreach working group Anna is honoured to be part of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and is a firm believer in and promoter of the seven Fundamental Principles and of the fact that the Red Cross helps all who are in need.

In 2012 Anna was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her service to her community. Receiving such an honour does not mean that one’s contributions are over it only fuels the fire within.

Ruth Jebb
2017 Florence Nightingale Medal recipient

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 7:00pm
Inspirational Gala Dinner

Ruth Jebb is a Registered Nurse and Midwife with 26 years’ experience in hospital and pre-hospital care settings including her current clinical managerial role as Emergency Department Clinical Nurse Consultant. She has worked as an Australian Red Cross International Health Delegate, Disaster Response Team (DRT) member and FACT delegate for the past 20 years’ with experience in 10 countries in Asia, Australia Oceania, Africa, the Caribbean and MIddle East, in disaster, conflict and development settings. Ruth returned from her most recent ICRC deployment to Gaza in May 2024, where she worked in the European Gaza Hospital in Rafah. She has also been a part of the AusMAT (Australian Medical Assistance Team) QLD team with experience as a training facilitator and team member, including deployments to The Earthquake response in Christchurch, New Zealand and Bushfire response in NSW, Australia. She is the proud recipient of the 2017 Florence Nightingale Medal and International Service Medal for her humanitarian work. She currently resides in Brisbane, Australia with her partner and two young boys.

Janet Johnson
Chief Development Officer, Canadian Red Cross

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 3:30pm
Session 8: Bringing our Learnings Home: Empowering Women’s Philanthropy

Janet Johnson is the Chief Development Officer at the Canadian Red Cross and first joined the Red Cross in 2018 as the Vice President Philanthropy. Janet brings more than 25 years of progressive leadership experience in philanthropy, human resources, sales and marketing with over 10 years of executive leadership within the humanitarian charitable sector and 15 years in the for-profit financial services sector. Driven by a desire to help others, Janet's passion is helping people connect their philanthropic goals with the causes they care deeply about. In addition to her philanthropy experience, Janet has a Bachelors degree in Business Administration, is a Certified Human Resources Leader and has her Masters Business Administration specializing in innovation and leadership.

Absa Kane
International Ambassador of the Swiss Red Cross

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 1:00pm
Session 6: Spotlight on National Society Tiffany Circles

Absa Faty Kane, was born in Dakar into a family of teachers and spent part of her childhood in Paris and Dakar, where she obtained a Literary Baccalaureate. After studying Hotel Management in Grenoble, she returned to Senegal, where she worked as Head Receptionist/Accommodation Manager, at the Savana Hotel in Dakar (Accor group).

She married a young Commodities Trader of Mauritanian origin based in Geneva. She thus left Senegal for Switzerland, her new country of adoption. Their union has produced two children.

More recently, after several years in real estate in Geneva with the M3/John Taylor Group as a Sales Broker, she founded her own company, Keur Mame, active in the promotion of Senegalese and Ghanaian designers, artisans, artists and local fruit juices.

In Geneva, her passion for humanitarian work was revealed. Firstly, she helped to organize a gala dinner for the Winds of Hope Association, founded by Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard, which helps people suffering from NOMA in Africa. She also served as the Vice-President of Action Sabrina Association, supporting children suffering from cancer at the Cantonal Hospital of Geneva. With the Swiss Red Cross, she has been Co-President of the Geneva Ball for a decade and an International Ambassador since April 2022.

Presently, she’s the Founding Member of the Tiffany Circle West Africa, spending her time between Ghana, Senegal and Switzerland. She’s passionate about walking, cooking and mountain sports.

Dr. Petra Khoury
Director, Disaster Health & Care Department, IFRC

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 2:15pm
Session 7: Closing Gaps in Global Health

Dr. Petra Khoury, serving as the Director of Health and Care department for the IFRC, is a national of both Lebanon and the United States, with significant professional experience from both countries. Most recently, she led the national COVID-19 response and vaccination plan in Lebanon and was appointed as the Chair for both national COVID-19 Response and Vaccination Executive Committees. In this capacity, she developed and executed the operational response and preparedness plan as well as vaccination roll-out plan and became the nation's scientific spokesperson on COVID-19 related matters, serving as the Public Health Advisor to the Prime Minister of Lebanon.

Prior to her leadership role in the national COVID-19 response in Lebanon, Petra was Chief Quality and Compliance Officer in the Executive Leadership Team at AUBMC. In this role, she had oversight over compliance, quality, safety, risk management, medico-legal, Joint Commission accreditations and regulatory compliance. She also worked on Re-engineering the Delivery of Healthcare at the American University of Beirut Medical Centre (AUBMC) thru implementation of electronic health records (Epic) and automation systems.

Her career started in Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital as an infectious disease specialist developing antimicrobial stewardship program, providing patient care, and leading internal medicine pharmacy clinical service. Petra holds a doctorate degree in Pharmacy from Lebanese American University in Lebanon. She trained at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts U.S.A, and specialized in infectious diseases. She also earned a Post-graduate certificate in Quality, Safety, Leadership, and Informatics from Harvard Medical School. She is fluent in Arabic, English, and French.

Natia Loladze
Vice-President, IFRC
President, Georgia Red Cross Society (GRCS)

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 9:00am
Session 4: Welcome from IFRC President, Kate Forbes + National Society Presidential Panel

Ms. Natia Loladze is the elected Vice-President of the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) since 2022 and the president of the Georgia Red Cross Society (GRCS). She is a proactive and resourceful professional with track record in leadership and strategic development of the organization. Prior to holding a Vice-President position Ms. Loladze was elected member of the IFRC Governing Board. She was a chair of the IFRC Governing Board Working Group on “National Societies, Localization and Volunteering”. Ms Natia Loladze chaired the 33-rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent held in Geneva, Switzerland in every four years. She is often invited to take part as a chair and a speaker in various international conferences/events focused on global trends and emerging challenges that require humanitarian action by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Ms. Natia is the founder of the Fintech company, among the largest payment system providers in Georgia. Expanding its operations beyond Georgia to cover the broader region.

Ms. Natia Loladze is a professional economist graduated with a master’s degree in management and leadership of the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor’s degree in BSc Economics of the University of Essex. She is the author of several works in management and economics.

In 2018, she completed High Performance Boards (HPB) Program in IMD Business School, Switzerland.

Elaine Lyerly
TCIC Co-Chair, President & CEO, Lyerly Agency

Day 1 - Wednesday October 2nd 2024 | 6:00pm
Welcome Reception; Journey of Humanity

Elaine Lyerly co-founded Lyerly Agency on November 7, 1977. Over the years, she has become a widely respected and sought-after brand strategist, amassing vast experience in all aspects of brand development and communications. Elaine believes strong brands are essential to building bottom-line value and customer loyalty, and she works to help businesses achieve this distinction. She has advised hundreds of companies in various industries and has led numerous strategic research and integrated marketing assignments. In addition, Elaine has extensive experience in marketing, advertising, corporate communications and public relations, including crisis management and media training. She has coached executives of all levels to become powerful public speakers and adept at dealing with the media.

Whether it’s serving in a leadership role to guide organizations or contributing as a volunteer on a committee, Elaine has actively given her time and talents to a variety of nonprofit organizations on local, national and international levels by participating, innovating, creating or donating for the betterment of others. She has traveled to underserved countries, including Kenya, South Africa and Haiti, to understand and review the humanitarian work of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In addition,, Elaine has served as a American Red Cross National Vice Chair of Board of Governors and Chair and Past National Chair of Tiffany Circle, and she was a Council Member for the Red Cross International Movement Committee.

Elaine has received many accolades and awards for her volunteer service, including the American Red Cross Harriman Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service. She was named by U.S. Airways magazine as one of Charlotte’s 20 Dynamic Women, and she was recognized the Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Nicole Martins-Maag
Head of Archives and Outreach, ICRC

Day 2 - Thursday October 3rd 2024 | 10:15am
Session 2: International Humanitarian Law over History

Nicole Martins-Maag leads the ICRC’s Archives, Library and Law & Policy Outreach. Born and raised in Basel (Switzerland), she student in Switzerland and Argentina and graduated from the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies in Geneva. With a broad interest in history, politics, law and economy, she joined the ICRC in 2006 and held various roles, including overseeing the global youth education programme Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL) and ICRC’s outreach to law and policy circles. Keen to bringing a female perspective into financial decision-making, she also serves as the President of the ICRC’s Pension Fund, dedicated to ensuring a secure retirement for staff through an asset management that is financially, but also socially and environmentally sustainable.

Row McGilvray
Geneva Forum Co-Chair and Founding Member of the Australian Red Cross Tiffany Circle

Day 1 - Wednesday October 2nd 2024 | 6:00pm
Welcome Reception; Journey of Humanity

Row McGilvray resides in Sydney, Australia, where she has made a significant impact as a founding member of the Society of Women Leaders (SWL) since 2015. Introduced to this philanthropic circle by a close friend who shares her passion for collective giving and the Red Cross, Row quickly embraced its mission and benefits. With a professional background in sales and human resources, she seamlessly transitioned into leadership roles within SWL, currently serving as the National Chair.

Outside of her dedicated work with SWL, Row cherishes her free time spent with loved ones. Whether with family or friends, she values these moments and prioritizes them whenever possible. Her commitment to both community leadership and personal relationships underscores her well-rounded approach to life in Sydney.

Anne McKeough
Chief Development Officer, American Red Cross

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 3:30pm
Session 8: Bringing our Learnings Home: Empowering Women’s Philanthropy

Anne McKeough joined the American Red Cross in October 2021 as Chief Development Officer, responsible for overall fundraising for the American Red Cross. She is responsible for leading the overall strategic direction and implementation of programs designed to raise funds from individuals, corporations, foundations, and community organizations. As part of the senior leadership team, she’ll develop and implement short and long-term strategies designed to provide mission growth/expansion.

Anne is a strategic executive with a proven track record of building and leading high-powered teams, accelerating profitable growth and driving change. Her areas of expertise include building a value-driven sales process, streamlining operations, negotiating complex business deals, creating and driving improvements in a global engagement support model, and developing the next generation of leaders.

Prior to joining the American Red Cross, Anne served as the vice president of Global Sales for Staples, leading their sales organization and international business units for this top industry promotional products distributor for 22 years.

Anne has a passion for cultivating and developing talent. At Staples, she built a strong management team and fostered a team environment while encouraging innovation and collaboration. She has been recognized by the Advertising Specialty Institute as a Distributor Woman of Distinction in 2019 and as part of their Power 50 listing in 2019 and 2020.

Anne earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Business with honors from Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island.

Emmanuelle Menard-Marchand
Manager, Digital Unit, IFRC

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 11:00am
Session 5: Saving Lives, Time & Money: How Tech is Transforming RCRC Response

Emmanuelle is the Manager of the Digital Unit - Products & Services at IFRC, with a broad background in creating and managing digital solutions through human-centered design. Her role involves strategic collaboration with various departments and external organizations to enhance digital offerings at the IFRC.

With extensive experience from the Canadian Red Cross, Emmanuelle has played a key role in driving strategic initiatives in Emergency Management, Health, and Corporate Services for over five years. Her leadership in evolving product management has contributed to the organization’s digital transformation, ensuring digital products are intuitive, and meet user needs.

Emmanuelle led the product team responsible for building the Emergency Management Information System, which plays a key role across all phases of the emergency management lifecycle, enabling the delivery of efficient, effective, and timely humanitarian assistance at the Canadian Red Cross.

Her diverse experience spans leading programs, projects and products across start-ups, government entities, and non-profits. Passionate about collaboration, Emmanuelle loves to partner with multiple stakeholders to bring people together around a collective mission.

Clara Palau Montava
Digital Platform Project Manager, ICRC

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 11:00am
Session 5: Saving Lives, Time & Money: How Tech is Transforming RCRC Response

Clara Palau is project manager for ICRC Digital Humanitarian Platform (www.icrc.org/redsafe) since its conception in 2019, managing all phases from design to scale. RedSafe is built for and with the population affected by conflict and other situation of violence, enabling humanitarian assistance and protection services to be extended to the digital world with security and privacy-by-design principles at its heart. Before ICRC, she worked for UNICEF Office of Innovation in topics related to data science and artificial intelligence, fostering collaborations with the private sector. She holds a MsC in telecommunications engineering and a Master in non-profit-organisations management.

Liz Padmore
Chair, British Red Cross

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 9:00am
Session 4: Welcome from IFRC President, Kate Forbes + National Society Presidential Panel

Liz became Chair of the British Red Cross in January 2022. She has extensive experience at Board level in private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

Throughout her career, she has specialised in scenario planning, strategic comms, CSR and relationship management. She was previously a strategy partner at Accenture creating and running their global strategic think tank.

Currently, Liz is chair of Housing Solutions and also on the Council of Management of the Ditchley Foundation. She also chairs the Renumeration Committees for Green Templeton College, Oxford, and Brasenose College, Oxford.

Previously, Liz chaired Hampshire Hospitals NHS FT for nine years and was a member of YBI (Prince of Wales’ Youth Business International) having been a trustee for over 10 years.

Liz is also a member and previous vice chair of IWF UK; a member of Women Corporate Directors and an elected FRSA (Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts Manufacturing and Commerce).

Liz read both Philosophy, Politics and Economics and Jurisprudence at Brasenose College, Oxford.

Dania Samawi
Geneva Forum Co-Chair and Founder of the Swiss Red Cross Tiffany Circle

Day 1 - Monday October 2nd 2024 | 6:00pm
Welcome Reception; Journey of Humanity

Day 3 - Friday October 2nd 2024 | 1:00pm
Session 6: Spotlight on National Society Tiffany Circles

Dania's academic background is rooted in finance and economics, but her professional journey has led her to a dedicated career in philanthropy. In 2010, she joined the Swiss Red Cross with a mission to raise funds for victims of forgotten disasters. She co-chaired numerous fundraising events for over ten years making significant contributions to the cause. Dania personally visited various Red Cross projects, witnessing their impact firsthand, in Armenia, Nepal, and refugee camps in Lebanon among others.

Undeterred by the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Dania founded Tiffany Circle Switzerland in 2021, further solidifying her dedication to humanitarian work. In recognition of her unwavering commitment and impactful contributions, she was honored with the title of International Ambassador of the Swiss Red Cross in 2022.

Ezekiel Simperingham
Global Manager, Migration and Displacement, IFRC

Day 2 - Thursday October 3rd 2024 | 11:30am
Session 3: Resilience in Crisis: How Disaster Response is Evolving

Ezekiel Simperingham is the Global Manager on Migration and Displacement for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Ezekiel leads the global work of the IFRC on migration and displacement, including strategy and policy, emergencies and operations, community programmes, advocacy and diplomacy, and knowledge sharing across the network of 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Ezekiel is an international lawyer with more than 21 years of experience. Ezekiel has extensive experience working in conflict and disaster affected countries across the globe. Ezekiel has worked with Governments, International Financial Institutions, UN agencies, International NGOs and civil society.

Ezekiel has a Masters of Laws (LLM) degree from the New York University School of Law and holds Bachelor of Laws (LLB) with honours and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Ezekiel has authored a number of publications on refugee law, climate change induced displacement, international criminal justice and HLP rights. Ezekiel is a member of the UNFCCC Task Force on Displacement.

Nena Stoiljkovic
Under Secretary General for Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization, IFRC

Day 2 - Thursday October 3rd 2024 | 9:10am
Session 1: Overview of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Nena joined the IFRC in October 2020, having worked 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.

Camelia Şucu
President of the Romanian Red Cross

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 9:00am
Session 4: Welcome from IFRC President, Kate Forbes + National Society Presidential Panel

Ms. Camelia Șucu has a remarkable entrepreneurial and humanitarian career, recognized for her balance, integrity and people-oriented approach, as well as for her tenacity to support teamwork, identify and aggregate resources for humanitarian objectives.

Her targeted areas in humanitarian and charitable activities are health, education and young talents. She particularly supports programs that encourage an entrepreneurial spirit, which leads to job creation and local prosperity, contributing through purely philanthropic involvement or personal donations.

Ms. Șucu has been an active member of the National Red Cross Society - Giurgiu Branch since 2009 and has served on the County Committee of the Giurgiu Red Cross Branch. Earlier this year, she was voted for the position of Vice-President of the Giurgiu County Committee locally. Within this branch, Ms. Sucu has supported volunteer programs and humanitarian campaigns for disadvantaged children, such as "The Shoebox Gift! Feel the joy of helping" , "The Old Toy Fair" and the COVID-19 "Romania saves Romania" campaign. She has also been very active in supporting humanitarian intervention programs for the victims of the armed conflict in Ukraine, through lobby and advocacy activities for fundraising.

In the spring of 2023, she accepted the proposal to run for the position of President of the National Red Cross Society of Romania, and in the May elections, Ms. Șucu was voted and elected for this position.

She has extensive and in-depth knowledge of humanitarian organization management as an active donor and supporter of the following charitable institutions: Habitat for Humanity - consistently supporting the construction of houses for poor families in rural Romania through participation in numerous TV donation programs at the National Television, supporting UNICEF for children worldwide," Save the Children" Foundation, "Provita" Foundation for abandoned children, "Renaissance" Foundation - missioned for health education, "Ovidiu Rom" Foundation - promoting educational programs for the poorest members of Romanian society through the program "Every Child in School," Dăruieste Viața" Foundation - among the top private contributors (private donation) to the construction of the Exigio hospital. Ms. Șucu's public recognition is remarkable, highlighted by awards and distinctions: "People for People" Gala (2008) - award for sponsorship and personal contribution as a donor; CAPITAL Magazine (2007) nominated in the Top 100 Successful Women in Romania; Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (2007) "Excellence Award" for successful female entrepreneurship; Forbes Romania "Philanthropy Top" (2009) Top 3, among personalities actively involved in philanthropic activities in Romania; "Blue Heron" Foundation (2009) Humanitarian Award "Forget-Me-Not" for remarkable contributions to improving the lives of abandoned and disadvantaged children in Romania.

Ms. Camelia Șucu has a strong profile marked by successes in the entrepreneurial field as well: Co-founder of Mobexpert, the largest furniture store chain in Romania; Founder and owner of Class Living - a studio for consulting services and designer furniture; Partner and exclusive distributor of the Natuzzi brand in Romania, within the emblematic mono-brand stores; Owner of the Bucharest Wholesale Market.

She is a graduate of the "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest and the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Bucharest.

Eva Svoboda
Head of the Policy, Research and Humanitarian Diplomacy Division at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Day 2 - Thursday October 3rd 2024 | 10:15am
Session 2: International Humanitarian Law over History

Eva Svoboda is currently Head of the Policy, Research and Humanitarian Diplomacy Division at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva. Eva worked with the ICRC from 1999 until 2011 in various countries and regions holding different positions. Prior to joining the ICRC, Eva worked for the Swiss Development Agency and various non-governmental organisations. From 2012 until 2018 she was working as a Senior Research Fellow with the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in London. Between 2016 and 2017 she worked as the senior expert for detainees and missing at the United Nations Office of the Special Envoy for Syria.

Fatma Meriç Yılmaz
President, Turkish Red Crescent

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 9:00am
Session 4: Welcome from IFRC President, Kate Forbes + National Society Presidential Panel

Ms Yılmaz is a professor of biochemistry who was born in Ankara in 1975. She earned her medical degree from Ankara University School of Medicine and completed her residency at Ankara Research and Education Hospital, where she later became chief assistant. In 2008, she joined Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital as an assistant professor and Clinical Assistant Chief Officer. She then moved to Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, as an associate professor and was promoted to full professorship. She also served as the Education and Administrative Responsibility of the Biochemistry Laboratory and Laboratory Coordinator at Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital from 2012 to 2015.

Ms Yılmaz has also held various administrative positions in the health sector. She was the General Secretary of Ankara 1st Region Public Hospitals Association from 2015 to 2016, and the Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health from 2016 to 2017. Ms Yılmaz has authored many publications in national and international journals, and she is currently affiliated with the Department of Medical Biochemistry at Yıldırım Beyazıt University. She also works as a Lecturer and Teaching Assistant at Ankara City Hospital Medical Biochemistry Clinic.

In addition, Ms Yılmaz is an active member of several professional organizations, such as the TUBITAK BIDEP Advisory Board, the Ministry of Health Medical Laboratory Science Board, and the IFCC C-NPU Commission.

Prof Dr Yılmaz, a medical doctor by profession, served as the Governing Board Member and Vice President of the Turkish Red Crescent from 2015 to 2023 and was elected as the Turkish Red Crescent President on 9 July 2023. She is a wife and mother of three.

Dr. Ahmad Naser Sarmast
Founder and Director, Afghanistan National Institute of Music

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 7:00pm
Inspirational Gala Dinner

Dr. Ahmad Sarmast is founder and director of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music.

A musician and member of a renowned musical family, he fled his country in the 1990’s, when Afghanistan’s rich musical heritage was abruptly halted by the civil war. Music was forbidden under Taliban rule from 1996 until 2001. Following the nation’s liberation from Taliban rule, Sarmast returned to Kabul to establish ANIM. ANIM offers music education in Afghan and western classical music to students regardless of gender, ethnicity, or social backgrounds.

For over a decade since its founding in 2010, ANIM flourished; its students and ensembles, including the famous all-girls’ orchestra Zohra, toured the world as a beacon of hope and a positive face of Afghanistan’s future. When the Taliban retook power in August 2021, Sarmast worked with an international coalition to rescue the 273 members of the school and re-establish it in Lisbon, Portugal.

Sarmast and ANIM are winners of the 2018 Polar Prize. He has also been named Honorary Fellow of the National College of Music, London, and has received other international honors. Sarmast and ANIM are the subject of numerous media reports in prominent international publications and documentaries.

The target of three assassination attempts, Dr. Sarmast was grievously injured in a suicide bombing at a peace concert of an ANIM ensemble in Kabul in 2014.

Dr. Sarmast received his PhD in Music from Monash University in 2005, and a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Arts from the Moscow State Conservatory.

Margareta Wahlström
Chair, Glow Red

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 10:45am
Glow Red Introduction

In 40 years of international and national experience of humanitarian, development and conflict work with national agencies, with the Red Cross Red Crescent and the United Nations, have acquired an extensive experience of working with people across all functions in society, and ability to lead and inspire, and with much practical insight into how to deliver to objectives. Founder of the Global Network of Women Leaders in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement -GLOW Red. Former President of the Swedish Red Cross, senior positions in the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent as well as the United Nations.

Alexia Weill
Guest Artist

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 7:00pm
Inspirational Gala Dinner

Alexia Weill is a French-Swiss sculptor artist. Born in Paris, she moved to Switzerland in 2005. A graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Direction Audiovisuelle (ESRA Paris), she trained in parallel in sculpture at the Beaux-Arts de Paris. Her work “Circular Impression” carved in marble, granite, serpentine, limestone, basalt and wood, tells stories of memory and time. She sculpts organic matter which she combines with resin, metal and bronze to reveal the message. She finds her inspiration in the dialogue with nature and in her inner inspirations which are revealed with each new creation. For several years, she has been exploring urban space with original creations where she incorporates the history of a place and its artistic perception to deliver creations that are both dynamic and timeless. Her public works are present in the collections of the Swiss towns of Saint-Légier, Villeneuve, Aigle, Morges and Bussigny. In 2018, she was the first artist invited by the famous American real estate agency Corcoran, to exhibit her works in New York for the “Art & Real Estate” launch. Her sculptures are exhibited in New York, Dubai, Miami and in Europe. Her work is present in numerous private collections in Switzerland and abroad. Since 2020, she has been exploring the digital world by transposing her universe into it through the creation of digital sculptures that she creates immersively. Her work was presented in 2022 on the Swiss Pavilion in Cannes during the festival. Since then she has carried out 2 digital artistic residencies, one at the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Art, Musée Jenisch in Vevey in 2023 and in partnership with the Quartier du Flon in 2024 in the Verrière des Jumeaux. In November 2023, she won a competition and again created 3 works in stone, wood and marine cement for the public space for the Agora college in the town of Bussigny.

Cate White
Australian Tiffany Circle

Day 3 - Friday October 4th 2024 | 1:00pm
Session 6: Spotlight on National Society Tiffany Circles

Cate studied Commerce at the University of Melbourne and went on to have a successful career as an Investment Banker at ABN AMRO Bank in London, New York and Amsterdam. She then worked as Head of Client Services in a financial advisory office in Melbourne, Australia.

Cate has now chosen to work within the Philanthropy sector, and together with her husband Paul, has established the White Family Foundation. Their mission is to promote social justice, address climate change & support positive change in First Nations communities. Of particular interest for Cate is approaching philanthropic investments through a gender lens, recognising that investing in women & girls strengthens both economies and societies as a whole.

Cate's other philanthropic roles includes being a member of the Society of Women Leaders, Australia's largest circle of giving established by the Red Cross, and member of Australian Women in Family Foundations, and the Impact Investment Club.

Thomas Zeltner
President, Swiss Red Cross

Day 2 - Thursday October 3rd 2024 | 9:00am
Welcome from Swiss Red Cross President Thomas Zeltner
Session 1: Overview of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

Thomas Zeltner was born in Bern (Switzerland). He graduated with an MD and a Master's degree in Law from the University of Bern. Since 1992 he has been Professor of Public Health at the University of Bern. He is also the founder and first chairman of the WHO Foundation and now President of the Swiss Red Cross. Between 1991 and 2009 Thomas Zeltner has been Director General of the Swiss Federal Office of Public. Finally he serves as Deputy Chair of the University Council of the Medical University of Vienna (Austria).