Paul is an experienced and accomplished international emergency responder and disaster risk practitioner.  With over 25 years across numerous countries, from conflict settings to highly urbanized environments, he has developed his leadership capacity and honed his project management capability.  As a disaster and emergency response leader with organizations such as the World Health Organization, the UN World Food Programme, UNDP, UN International Organization for Migration, the World Bank, and the governments of the United Kingdom and the European Union, Paul brings a wealth of expertise and unmatched contextual experience from the field.

Paul was a founding director for the Syrian White Helmets and holds a Masters Degree in Disaster Management from Coventry University and is currently pursuing his Ph.D on emotional intelligence in crisis leadership at Dublin City University.

Gajanan is a data specialist with significant experience developing and implementing information management solutions, disaster response spatial data support and tool development, real-time predictive analytics, and resilient national communications infrastructure investment planning.  He has worked with governments at local and national levels, as well as with private sector companies to engineer systems for stability and security while maximizing practical use of technologies.


Gajanan has worked across various data management and analysis platforms, including ArcGIS, QGIS, PostgreSQL, Python GDAL, PowerBI, Docker, Git, and others to improve community resilience, public sector governance, and private sector outcomes.  He is actively involved in the development and utilization of secure open-source packages, including supporting others to gain utility and practical benefit from emerging data science and technologies.  Gajanan holds a degree in Geography and Environmental Management with specializations in geomatics and computer science.

Barbara Minguez Garcia is a Disaster Risk Management and Cultural Heritage Specialist, with over 13 years of international experience. She has worked at the UNESCO Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit, the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) in several countries and projects, including Central America region, Ecuador, Myanmar, Bhutan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Japan, among others. Before she worked at the Cultural Offices of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C. and the Spanish Consulate in New York, N.Y., and collaborated with the U.S. National Parks Service (NPS). Barbara is member of the International Committee on Risk Preparedness (ICOMOS-ICORP), and mentor for ICCROM’s First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis and Net Zero: Heritage for Climate Action Programs.

Bob is an internationally recognized leader in disaster communications and crisis management  including extensive consultation experience with governments and resilience partners in developing nations and fragile states.  He has led global teams with up to 2,500 personnel across multiple disciplines and locations and directed large-scale projects from ideation to completion. Prior to beginning his work in the private sector, Bob was the Deputy Director of External Affairs for the Federal Emergency Management Agency of the United States and held a senior leadership role for the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Bob is highly regarded for his public communications leadership during response operations. He has deployed four times to combat zones and has led communication efforts for major disaster responses including Hurricanes Ike and Sandy, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the Deepwater Horizon crisis.

Simon has 25 years experience in the international development sector, during which he has worked in approximately 20 countries in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia. His specializations include water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), environmental assessment and management, watershed management and climate resilience. Recent assignments have included environmental assessment and planning for several large health, education and livelihoods programs implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation, coordinating and co-editing the UNICEF/WHO publication “State of the World’s Sanitation” and major programmatic evaluations and strategic reviews for clients including the World Bank, the African Development Bank and WaterAid UK.

Wes is a capable, results-oriented disaster manager and development professional who strikes the right balance between operational program realities and strategic resilience objectives. He has significant experience in Africa where he managed large-scale USAID critical infrastructure reconstruction and hardening projects as well as volcanic eruption relief programs.

Through his academic pursuits in engineering technology and disaster risk management, Wes is well positioned as a knowledge bridge for multiple disciplines. He holds a Master’s degree in Disaster and Emergency Management as is a certified Project Management Professional.

One of Europe’s leading academic voices in disaster management, Dr. Tedim has introduced novel approaches to build resilience at local and regional scales. As a thought leader for disaster risk, she has embraced climate change adaptation to inform national understanding of current and future risks posed by natural hazards and evolving social vulnerabilities.

Fantina holds a doctorate in Human Geography and as a professor she designs and delivers courses on disaster risk assessment. She is the assistant editor for a leading international disaster risk journal and is a reviewer for over twenty additional refereed publications. A much sought-after speaker and author, Dr. Tedim has presented at over 60 events and has over 50 publications credited to her name.

Dechen is McAllister & Craig’s Regional Lead Associate for South Asia. An experienced disaster risk management professional and civil engineer, her work focuses on resilient infrastructure development, climate adaptation, early warning systems, risk finance and world heritage conservation. Dechen masterfully integrates structural and non-structural measures to address the most intractable risk reduction challenges at local, national and regional scales. Prior to joining McAllister & Craig, she led senior-level interdisciplinary disaster risk management teams at the World Bank. She has regularly and successfully collaborated with bilateral foreign aid organizations, multi-lateral development banks and various United Nations agencies.

With extensive experience in community and large municipality emergency management programs and a background in logistics, Erica brings depth and context to disaster risk reduction strategy.  She has worked across multiple countries in resilience training and partnership exercises for disaster resilience.  Field experience as the director of emergency management program for the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada, and as the Commanding Officer for the Canadian Armed Forces Joint Task Force Atlantic, has honed her consideration for integrated resilience from neighbourhoods to nations.

Erica is an alumnus of the United States Department of Homeland Security’s International Visitor Leadership Program and holds a Masters Degree in complex joint operational planning.  She has received several commendations from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for her leadership and guidance during major events and was awarded the Order of Military Merit by the Governor General of Canada.