We believe each life matters
We relieve human suffering in hard to reach places.Medair is an impartial, independent, and neutral humanitarian organisation inspired by Christian faith to save lives and relieve human suffering in the world’s most difficult-to-reach and devastated places. Since 1989, we’ve been helping people in crisis – regardless of race, creed or nationality – That the world’s most vulnerable and difficult-to-reach people living in dignity, free from human suffering, and with hope for a better future.
2020 IMPACT
3.2 million
people
directly
assisted
HEALTH & NUTRITION
1.2 million
consultations
at Medair supported
clinics
WATER & SANITATION
469,767
people gained
improved access
to safe water
SHELTER
266,469
people
received shelter
assistance
Our Leadership
Our Resources
You can save lives
Our Offices
GLOBAL SUPPORT OFFICE
Chemin du Croset 9
1024 Ecublens
Switzerland
+41 (0)21 694 35 35
info@medair.org
GENEVA
Chemin des Mines 2
Sécheron, 1202 Genève
Switzerland
+41 (0)21 694 35 35
suisse@medair.org
ZÜRICH
Schoffelgasse 7
CH – 8001 Zürich
Switzerland
+41 (0)43 268 22 00
schweiz@medair.org
UNITED
KINGDOM
333 Canterbury Court
1-3 Brixton Road
London SW9 6DE
+44 (0)20 8772 0100
united.kingdom@medair.org
GERMANY
Luisenplatz 1
65185 Wiesbaden
Germany
+49 (0) 611 17265-360
deutschland@medair.org
UNITED
STATES
PO Box 4476
Wheaton, IL 60189-4476
United States
+1 866 599 1795
united.states@medair.org
FRANCE
5 Avenue Georges Abel
26120 Chabeuil
France
+33 (0)4 75 59 88 28
france@medair.org
NETHERLANDS
Kerkpad 2
8071 GG Nunspeet
+31(0)341 217 118
KvK 35029698
nederland@medair.org
Our Leadership
The people that drive the vision

David Verboom
C.E.O.
David Verboom, Chief Executive Officer
David became Medair’s Chief Executive Officer in 2018. David has more than 25 years of experience in the humanitarian and private sectors, including 20 years of field experience in East Africa, Asia, and the Middle East where he led national and regional humanitarian responses for organisations, including Medair, ZOA, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), and World Vision International.
David studied at the High Technical College of Automotive Engineering in the Netherlands, and has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Twente School of Management, the Netherlands.
As Chief Executive Officer, David holds the highest responsibility for leading and developing the organisation’s strategic, financial, and project management capacities worldwide.
David is a Dutch national. He is married to Inge and they have three children.

Patrick Beringer
Executive Office and Legal Director
Patrick joined Medair in October 2021 as Executive Office and Legal Director.
Patrick has practised law for a number of years in both private practice and in business roles. He graduated in history and law from St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and completed the Law Society Finals Course at the College of Law in Chester in the UK. Patrick began his legal career with Allen & Overy in London and Budapest, and later as Legal Advisor for PPP Healthcare Limited in the UK. He moved to Nestlé in Switzerland in 2003 where he held senior management positions working in Mergers and Acquisitions and serving as General Counsel for both Nestlé Nutrition and Galderma. Patrick was also a member of the Medair IBoT for three years until joining Medair full-time.
As Executive Office and Legal Director he manages Medair’s governance practices and oversees Medair’s legal and compliance affairs. Patrick is also currently serving as the interim Finance Director for Medair.
Patrick is British and married to Janine who is schoolteacher. They have three children.

Anne Reitsema
International Programmes Director
Anne joined Medair in 2004 and has since led Medair’s programmes in Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan, and overseen Medair’s programmes in Somalia and Somaliland from the Global Support Office. In 2019, Anne became International Programmes Director.
Before joining Medair, Anne worked as a social worker. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the North West University Potchefstroom in South Africa, and a master’s degree in Counselling from CTS in Saint Louis, Missouri in the US.
As International Programmes Director, Anne oversees Medair’s country programmes and the Global Emergency Response Team.
Anne is a Dutch national and lives in Switzerland.

Cynthia Labi
Human Resources Director
Cynthia joined Medair in 2015 as Human Resources Director.
With more than 20 years of experience in human resources and organisational development, Cynthia has worked in the private, public, and non-governmental sectors with international organisations such PricewaterhouseCoopers, Barclays Bank, and World Vision International.
Cynthia holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Psychology from the University of Ghana, and a master’s degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster, United Kingdom.
In her role, Cynthia leads the development and management of Medair’s human resources worldwide.
Cynthia is a Ghanaian national. She and her husband, Kwame, have four children.

Heidi Cockram
Information Technology Services Director
Heidi became Information Technology Services Director in 2019. Previously, Heidi was Country Director for Medair’s programmes in Nepal, the Philippines, and Myanmar.
Heidi has more than 20 years of experience in management and information technology in both the private and humanitarian sectors. She studied Telecommunications Management, holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, and a graduate certificate in International Development from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.
Heidi oversees Medair’s information technology and communications resources worldwide, and supports country programmes in harnessing innovation and technology to increase Medair’s global impact.
Heidi is Australian and lives in Switzerland.

Jean-Bernard Palthey
Engagement Director
Jean-Bernard studied at HEC in Paris. He began his career with L’Oréal in Finland then in France as a business controller. A few years later, he moved to the Bourjois-Chanel Group where he held different positions in controlling, business development and sales.
In 2005, he moved with his family to Switzerland to work for Nestlé. After a couple of years as a project leader in marketing and innovation, he spent ten years as global marketing manager contributing to the launch and worldwide roll-out of the Nescafé Dolce Gusto brand.
In 2017, he created his own consulting company working for religious communities, to help them define and execute a long term vision and balance between community life and economic activities.
Jean-Bernard is both Swiss and French, is married with Claire and they have 5 children.
International Board of Trustees
James Featherby (British)
Chair
James has many years experience in the international charitable and business sectors, with a particular emphasis on governance and the application of his Christian faith in all walks of life.
James worked in the City of London for 30 years, and for 20 of these as a corporate partner of Slaughter and May, one of the City’s leading international law firms. Whilst there he led or founded numerous Christian initiatives.
He was then, for six years, chair of the committee advising Europe’s largest ethical investor on ethical investment, and particularly helped to re-orientate its approach to climate change and the global extractives industry. He has been chair of The British and Foreign Bible Society since 2015. He also works with YWAM, one of Medair’s founding partners.
James has written and spoken extensively on the need for business to better serve the common good, and is the general editor of a book on global business and human rights. He has a degree in theology and law from Cambridge University.
James is married, with five adult children and 10 grandchildren. He is passionate about the countryside and seeing young people fulfil their potential.
James began serving on the Medair board in 2020.
Fraser Bell (British)
Vice-Chair
Fraser works as a consultant to non-profit boards that are going through CEO leadership transitions. Previously he led the Global Development practice of an Executive Search firm, helping INGOs, Foundations, and UN agencies to appoint senior leaders.
Fraser has a long history with Medair, having first served in South Sudan in 1997. He also established the UK affiliate office, led Medair’s emergency response in Darfur, and served as Country Director in Uganda.
Fraser brings a broad range of governance experience with UK organisations. He is a trustee of Urban Devotion, governor at Bluecoat Academy, and serves as an elder at Heart Church. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Hampton Manor.
Fraser earned a Bachelor of Laws and a Masters in Public International Law from the University of Nottingham.
Jacques-Antoine Demaurex (Swiss)
Jacques Demaurex is an experienced finance manager in corporate finance and in asset management, earned in diversified financial and cultural environments in the US and Europe.
Jacques earned a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Lausanne.
Jacques began his career with a Swiss bank in Lausanne, then transferred to the US to work for SBC Warburg. He worked in San Francisco and in New York City before returning with the same corporation in Geneva as Director of Corporate Finance.
Jacques then took management positions in the finance industry, first with the private bank, Bonhote Bank, then for the Tetra Pak Group. Presently, Jacques works as head of asset management for a large family office, Sureco Investments SA.
Jacques began serving on the Medair board in 2013.
Jacques is also on the boards of Medair Invest In Aid Foundation, Fondation le Cep, and Fondation Ichtus.
Anne Headon (Swiss and French)
Anne Headon is an international business leader operating at the board level with a strong strategy, innovation and marketing background. She is a business mentor supporting start-ups and scale-ups, in collaboration with leading universities in Switzerland and the UK.
Anne earned a Master of Science in Business with honours from HEC Lausanne (Faculté des Hautes Études Commerciales) in Switzerland, where she later served as a Business Advisory Board Member. She also holds an MBA from INSEAD (the European Institute of Business Administration) in France.
Anne is currently a member of four corporate boards and one non-profit board (Medair). She was a past board member of two non-profit and two corporate boards.
She works as Growth Expert and Tutor in the Entrepreneurship Centre of the Said Business School of the University of Oxford. Prior to this, Anne was co-founder and partner of Crescendo Marketing in Switzerland, a market research and marketing strategy agency. She served as Marketing Director of the L’Oreal Group in the UK and worked in brand management for Procter & Gamble in Switzerland. Her first career steps were in management consulting with McKinsey & Co in Switzerland.
Anne began her service on the Medair board in 2018.
Samson Kambarami (Zimbabwean)
Sam brings to the International Board of Trustees (IBoT) a unique combination of humanitarian experience, financial expertise, and a passion for corporate governance and good stewardship, all motivated by his Christian faith.
He has worked exclusively in the humanitarian sector for more than 15 years, both in the field and in HQ settings, with World Vision, Save the Children, and Lutheran World Federation. Sam first encountered Medair when he was in Angola from 2002 to 2008, and came away deeply impressed by the professionalism of the team and inspired by their faith motivation. His primary expertise is in finance, administration, and grant management, with an extensive background in external and internal auditing. Since 2011, he has worked for UNICEF in Geneva as Finance Manager for the Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division.
Samson began serving on Medair’s board in 2016.
Peter Wilson (British)
Peter Wilson has been a leader in both the public and private sectors, including UK central government departments and FTSE top 20 and blue chip corporations. Peter began his career working in advertising agencies in the UK and abroad before becoming Marketing Manager with GlaxoSmithKline. From there, he moved to Marketing Controller with Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and then on to Marketing Director with Kettle Foods.
Peter then moved to the public sector as Deputy Director of HMRC (UK’s taxation/customs authority), the UK’s largest organisation (£450 bn), where he delivered their transition to a customer centric model and a programme to “improve society’s financial capability”. He then advanced to a director’s position in fraud prevention and cyber security in The Home Office in the UK, launching a global-first fraud and cyber-crime reporting system, which enabled public and private sectors to improve the protection of those most vulnerable to fraud.
Since October 2013, Peter has served as Deputy Director for the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism of The Home Office, where he is SRO Head of Unit for research and communications, leading a team of specialists across public and private sectors in the UK, EU, and other partner countries to deliver programmes that disrupt criminal and terrorist activity and protect the vulnerable and those at risk.
Peter began serving on the Medair board in 2015.
Rachel Forster MBE (British)
Rachel is a UK-qualified lawyer who worked initially in London for international and national blue-chip clients. However, an invitation to join MEDAIR in 1997 resulted in a huge, life-changing move to South Sudan and a shift from working with the wealthy and privileged in London to serving the poor and forgotten in the Global South.
What was initially meant to be a 2-year experience turned into a 16 year adventure in East Africa working in aid and then development. Rachel advised international NGOs and institutional donors on legal and governance issues, advocacy and justice campaigning but more importantly met so many inspirational people along the way which enriched her life perspective and vision.
Rachel worked for MEDAIR from 1998-2002 beginning as a volunteer in South Sudan and ending as MEDAIR’s Country Director in Uganda.
She has been instrumental in, and has convened, a wide range of governance structures and organisational committees within church communities as well as professionally. As Secretariat to the multi-donor group on Private Sector Development and Trade, she coordinated the work of major bilateral and multilateral donors in Tanzania in private sector development and trade.
She is a linguist who is passionate about the value of cross-cultural communication and of bringing different communities together for mutual benefit.
Rachel was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) honour by the Queen in 2015 for “services to international development, humanitarian relief and poverty reduction”.
She is delighted to be back in MEDAIR serving on the International Board as a Trustee.
Benoit Mandosse (Swiss)
Benoit worked as a manager for Arthur Andersen in London and Geneva early in his career, where he worked in auditing and bank reorganization. From there he moved to PricewaterhouseCoopers in Geneva, where he implemented a banking software system and reviewed several financial institutions.
Benoit then moved to Lombard Odier & Cie Geneva, a private bank, with a focus on wealthy foreigners resident in Switzerland, and from there he moved as a partner to Dominicé & Co, where he current works as Head of Private Asset Management.
Benoit is also on the board of the Papoose Foundation.