Why have a global strategic advisory group
The Logistics Cluster is a community of partners actively working to overcome logistics constraints and to drive best practices and solutions aimed at improving the humanitarian response to emergencies.
Partnership is a core value of the cluster. As highlighted in the 2016-2021 Strategy, the Logistics Cluster is built on partnership, and as such it strives to involve a diverse and representative group of humanitarian actors, on the global, regional and local levels, that steers its strategic direction, allowing true involvement and ownership by partner organisations.
Since 2006, the biannual Logistics Cluster Global Meetings (GLMs) have been the fora for organisations to discuss common issues and experiences and take joint strategic decisions on the cluster governance. During the meetings in 2016 it was decided by large majority to create a Strategic Advisory Group (SAG).
The growing participation and involvement of partners and the increased number of operations called for stronger and better structured governance, hence the SAG was established to foster shared ownership of the cluster and improve decision making.
Structure
The overall objective of the SAG, as defined by the ToR, is to promote and drive the implementation of the strategy, ensuring that the decisions taken and the pursuing actions represent the diversity of the cluster partners.
The SAG is composed of eight members elected for two years. The Global Logistics Cluster Coordinator is the Fixed Chair of the SAG. The Chair only votes as tie breaker. WFP, as the Lead Agency of the cluster, has a permanent seat. NGOs and Governmental Organisations have three and two seats respectively. Representatives are elected during the GLM. One Field Logistics Cluster Coordinator is also elected to participate to the SAG as an observer.
The SAG meets twice a year in conjunction with the GLMs in addition to monthly teleconferences. Minutes and other pertinent documents are shared on this page. SAG members can be contacted regarding the strategy, governance and core functions of the Logistics Cluster.
Non Governmental Organisations
WFP
Susan Hodgson
Head of Humanitarian Supply Chain, Save the Children
Susan began her career in the British Army, serving for 22 years in locations such as Hong Kong, Nepal, Germany, Cyprus, Sierra Leone and Iraq. She then transitioned into the humanitarian sector, working with a range of organisations, including the American Refugee Council, International Rescue Committee, Concern and GOAL across various functions including programme, logistics, security and operations as well as in country management. Sue took on her current role as Head of Humanitarian Supply Chain for Save the Children in 2017, where she leads a team working to make improvements in the humanitarian supply chain.
Fabrice Perrot
Director of Logistics, Solidarités International
Fabrice began his career in social work, managing socio-cultural organisations in rural and urban communities in France before moving in to the humanitarian sector in 2010. During his time with Solidarités International, Fabrice has worked as Head of Base and Field Coordinator in DRC, Haiti and Bangladesh, as well overseeing logistics coordination for West Africa and Haiti. He has headed up the logistics department since 2014, and was appointed to his current role of Logistics Director in 2017, now overseeing four departments: Supply Chain, Operational Logistics, IT and Information Systems, and Facility Management.
Mary Jelliti
Logistics and Procurement Manager, GOAL
Mary spent 8 years working for the UK book retailer Waterstone’s in front and back of house, before moving in to the humanitarian sector in 2008. During her career, Mary has worked with Save the Children UK, Oxfam Intermón, PACT and the Danish Refugee Council in countries as diverse as South Sudan, Libya and Lebanon. Her career at GOAL started in 2015 as a roving Logistics Advisor, before moving to a HQ role as the Logistics Coordinator of the Dublin team before finally being appointed to her current role as Logistics and Procurement Manager in 2017. This role includes supporting GOAL programming, managing the HQ and roving teams, and directing policy and fostering innovation in GOAL Logistics and Procurement.
Jakob Kern
Director of Supply Chain, World Food Programme
A qualified civil engineer, Jakob Kern spent ten years working on civil engineering projects across several countries before joining WFP in 1998 as Head of Special Operation in Liberia. In 2001, Jakob moved to Eritrea followed by a posting in DPR Korea as Deputy Country Director in 2003. In 2006, he was appointed Deputy Chief Information Officer before becoming Chief Information Officer in 2012. Jakob then moved to Syria in 2016, where he spent two and a half years as WFP Representative and Country Director, working in one of the largest and most complex humanitarian emergency operations in the world. Jakob took up the post of Director of Supply Chain Division based in WFP Headquarters in Rome in 2018.
Governmental Organisations
Fixed Chair
Field Cluster Coordinator
Didier Merckx
Team Leader, Transport and Logistics & ECHO Flights, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
Originally working as an industrial engineer, Didier joined ECHO in April 1994 and has twenty-five years of professional experience in the humanitarian and development sectors. During his time with ECHO, Didier spent five years with the EU delegation in Kinshasa, DRC as well as working as a Desk Officer for several countries in Central Asia, North and Southern Caucasus and Central Africa. Most recently, Didier has worked on logistics, dealing with the ECHO Flight and UNHAS projects and successively joining the unit dealing with EU Civil Protection mechanisms.
Theo Lingens
Deputy Head of Logistics Division, German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW)
Theo first started working in humanitarian logistics as a volunteer with the German Red Cross, with his first deployment a mission to support refugees from the German Democratic Republic. He then became a permanent staff member of the Red Cross in 1990, deploying on several missions for the German Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and International Committee of the Red Cross. Since 2002, Theo has worked in THW Headquarters in Germany, responsible for all logistics issues on THW Missions abroad. Theo has been an active participant in Logistics Cluster activities since 2005 following the Humanitarian Reform.
Athalie Mayo
Global Logistics Cluster Coordinator, World Food Programme
Athalie joined the Logistics Cluster in 2019 from WFP’s Supply Chain Division where she worked in UNHRD and most recently bilateral service provision, supporting WFP partners with their logistics and procurement needs. Throughout her time with WFP, Athalie has tried to focus on collaborative approaches to understanding and meeting the needs of all humanitarian actors. Athalie’s professional career began in the British Army specialising in information analysis to support decision making. After some time in the private sector she moved into Field Security where she fulfilled a number of roles for WFP and other UN agencies before transitioning to WFP Supply Chain. Athalie is a speaker of English, French, Spanish and Italian and a graduate of Oxford and Leicester universities.
Katja Hildebrand
Logistics Cluster Coordinator, Central African Republic
Katja started with the UN Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC) in 2005 as an Operations Support Officer, then as Information Management Officer based in WFP HQ Rome with deployments to various emergency operations. When the UNJLC and Logistics Cluster merged, she took over the Information Manager function in the Global Logistics Cluster. Katja then spent two years in Haiti as Information Management Officer for the cluster's earthquake response before spending two years with WFP Sudan as Inter-Agency Logistics Working Group Lead. She then returned to WFP HQ as Special Assistant to the Director of Logistics. From 2016 to 2018, Katja served as Logistics Sector Coordinator in Nigeria before moving to her current position as Cluster Coordinator in CAR in 2018.
Meeting Minutes
2019
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Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 7 November 2019
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16 November 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 10 October 2019
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23 October 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 26 September 2019
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06 October 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 30 August 2019
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09 September 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 1 August 2019
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16 August 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 18 June 2019
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25 June 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 15 May 2019
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10 June 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 12 April 2019
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25 April 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 26 February 2019
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06 March 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 7 February 2019
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25 February 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 16 January 2019
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22 January 2019 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 19 December 2018
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03 January 2019
2018
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Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 7 November 2018
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13 November 2018 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 19 September 2018
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28 September 2018 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 29 May 2018
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11 June 2018 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 23 May 2018
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04 June 2018 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 16 May 2018
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04 June 2018 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 2 May 2018
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14 May 2018 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 6 April 2018
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13 April 2018 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 28 March 2018
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05 April 2018 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 8 February 2018
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19 February 2018
2017
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Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 30 November 2017
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18 December 2017 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 28 November 2017
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18 December 2017 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 16 November 2017
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24 November 2017 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 25 October 2017
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08 November 2017 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 27 September 2017
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04 October 2017 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 12 September 2017
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19 September 2017 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 13 July 2017
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01 September 2017 -
Global Logistics Cluster - SAG - Meeting Minutes, 6 June 2017
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31 August 2017