Madeleen Helmer, Head
Madeleen is head of the Climate Centre. Concerns about the impacts of climate change on vulnerable people brought Madeleen to the Netherlands Red Cross where she established the Climate Centre in 2002. Besides managing the Climate Centre, she mainly focuses on advocacy on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction within the UNFCCC and other international forums.

Maarten van Aalst, Associate director, Lead climate specialist
Climate specialist Maarten has worked on adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction since 1999 (mainly at the World Bank and the OECD). Maarten is responsible for refining the Climate Centre’s approach to climate change and disaster risk reduction, analysing experiences and sharing lessons learned, and liaising with scientific and policy communities on climate change, disaster risk reduction, and development planning. He also covers Southern Africa.

Pablo Suarez, Associate director of programmes
Pablo got involved with the Climate Centre as a technical advisor. His work as researcher and consultant focuses on the integration of climate information into decision making for reducing vulnerability, both at community level and through national and global policies. Pablo is associate director of programmes and based in Boston, USA. He is responsible for technical advice to National Societies in Latin America and Africa. Pablo is also in charge of the coordination of audiovisual work as well as projects in North, East, West and Central Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
 

Rebecca McNaught, Senior program officer
Bec joined the Climate Centre in March 2008 after working across the Pacific for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies since 2005 in the fields of disaster risk reduction and climate change. She studied Environmental Science at Deakin University in Australia and is passionate about her involvement with Red Cross, volunteers and community based action. She is now located in Melbourne, Australia. Bec coordinates the Climate Centre's climate change activities in Asia and the Pacific.

 

Fleur Monasso, Program officer
Fleur joined the Climate Centre in 2006 as a project officer. She is responsible for general support of the 'Preparedness for climate change' programme across all regions and collaborating closely with national Red Cross/ Red Crescent societies in Central Asia. She studied international relations at the University of Amsterdam and was already committed to the Climate Centre from 2004 onwards as a volunteer, giving presentation to branches of the Netherlands Red Cross. Fleur supports Red Cross Red Crescent climate change projects in Eurasia.
 

Lina Nerlander, Health specialist
Lina is the health specialist on the team, working to address the effects of climate change and climate variability on health. This includes for example health emergencies related to disasters and changing patterns of infectious diseases. Lina did her medical training at Oxford University, worked a couple of years as a doctor in the UK and completed a Master’s degree at the Harvard School of Public Health. Lina has experience of field research in Kenya and clinical work in Jordan, Egypt and South Africa. She also worked in Sri Lanka after the tsunami. 
 

Lisette Braman, Program officer
Lisette gained interdisciplinary knowledge of climate change through the Climate and Society Masters Program at Columbia University.  She supports the Preparedness for Climate Change Program and helps facilitate the Partnership to Save Lives between the IFRC and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). Lisette coordinates an internship program through Columbia University bringing graduate students with climate expertise to IFRC offices around the world.  She is also part of the Help Desk team at IRI, providing rapid responses to climate-related questions from the IFRC.

Desiree Davidse, Office manager
Desiree joined our team in August 2009 and is responsible for the Climate Centre's office management, delivering desk support and maintaining the Centre's website. She has worked at a number of international, educational and research companies and institutes, and has extensive general and editorial office management experience. Desiree has studied English Language and Culture at Leiden University.