Please join the Sam Nunn School for a conversation with Ahmed Ekzayez, chief of programs at the White Helmets, on leading humanitarian initiatives in conflict zones across the globe. 

Ahmed Ekzayez serves as the chief of programs at the White Helmets (Syria Civil Defense), where he is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction and implementation of one of the world's most renowned emergency response and disaster management operations. His extensive background in managing complex humanitarian crises was further honed as the Food Security and Livelihood Manager at the Syria Recovery Trust Fund (SRTF). In this capacity, he held direct responsibility for managing all food security and livelihood projects in North Syria, coordinating large-scale interventions to stabilize communities and build resilience. 

Before joining the SRTF, Ekzayez served as a consultant and adviser for various United Nations agencies and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs). In these roles, he designed and led critical food security and agricultural projects across diverse and challenging contexts, including Turkey, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Uganda. His career in the humanitarian sector began as a programs manager at a local organization, a leading Syrian non-profit, where he demonstrated exceptional versatility by overseeing projects across six different humanitarian sectors, laying the groundwork for his holistic understanding of integrated emergency response.