Katie Sams brings more than 25 years of experience in the international sector, including senior leadership roles in organisations advancing peace, dialogue, and conflict resolution. She has worked with governments, international organisations, civil society actors, and donors across a range of complex political and humanitarian contexts
Most recently, she served as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD Centre), where she provided strategic and operational leadership, helping to guide the organisation’s effective management and continued development.
Prior to joining the HD Centre, Ms Sams spent more than two decades with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). During her tenure, she held several leadership positions, including Director of Financial Resources and Logistics, Chief of Staff in the Office of the Director-General, and Head of the Civil Society Relations Unit.
At the start of her career, Ms Sams worked as a Research Fellow at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research and the Institute for Security Studies, where she co-authored a book on peacekeeping in Africa with a foreword by Kofi Annan.
Ms Sams holds a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.
