December 20, 2012

Ed Schenkenberg, Incoming DARA Director General

Dear Friends,

After a careful recruitment process, it is with great pleasure that we, together with the Board of Trustees, inform you that Ed Schenkenberg van Mierop, currently Executive Director of ICVA, will succeed Ross Mountain as Chief Executive of DARA when he steps down this month.

Many will be familiar with Ed already as he developed ICVA to become the world’s leading NGO network in humanitarian action over the past dozen years. He has also been closely related to DARA’s work as a member of DARA’s Humanitarian Response Index Peer Review Committee, since its inception in 2007. Within this context, he led the field mission in Sudan in 2011 to analyse donor performance and support of the crisis.

As part of ICVA, he has participated in international humanitarian coordination mechanisms like the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and other senior level humanitarian bodies. He has also been involved in analysing the humanitarian response in countries like Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. In his policy work, Ed has focused on humanitarian principles, protection and the relations of humanitarian agencies with military forces. He co-authored the chapter on protection principles in the Sphere Handbook 2011 edition.

With this broad background and expertise within the humanitarian sector, we are certain that he combines the vision and talent to successfully lead DARA in facing future challenges and opportunities, as well as leveraging the organisations potential to influence the sector for the benefit of vulnerable people worldwide. Our warmest welcome to Ed.

We would also like to express our most sincere gratitude to Ross. It has been a privilege having him with us these last three years. His dedication and efforts have contributed to DARA achieving wider recognition for the quality of its analysis in humanitarian aid, donor performance, disaster risk reduction and climate vulnerability. We thank him for his collaboration in securing a very promising transition, and we all look forward to having an enduring link with him.

Warm regards,
Diego Hidalgo
Chairman Emeritus of DARA’s Board of Trustees

José María Figueres
Chairman of DARA’s Board of Trustees