Shelterbox Announces New Chief Executive

Disaster relief organization ShelterBox has appointed Sanj Srikanthan as its new Chief Executive.

Sanj will join the charity in December after 10 years at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), where he is Senior Vice President, Europe and Executive Director, UK. In a previous role at IRC as Emergency Field Director, Sanj managed responses in Mali, Syria, Liberia, Lebanon and Turkey. Earlier in his career Sanj worked for UN OCHA (the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and was previously a Captain in the British Army.

ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families who have lost their homes to disaster, and currently has teams working to support communities in Cameroon, Paraguay, Somaliland and Syria. With operational headquarters in Truro, Cornwall, the charity also has fundraising teams in 15 countries around the world.

Speaking on his appointment, Sanj Srikanthan said: ‘It will be a huge privilege to lead ShelterBox, an organization with such a powerful clarity of mission – to turn despair into hope through shelter provision.

‘Over the course of my career, I have seen first-hand the direct impact that quality emergency shelter can have in helping people begin to recover from disaster.’

ShelterBox Chair James Sinclair Taylor said: ‘Sanj brings a wealth of humanitarian expertise to lead ShelterBox forward and develop a truly global organization. Everyone here is excited to welcome him to the team, working together to give families a place to call home after disaster.’