Mr. Kaatrud is World Food Program’s (WFP) Global Director of Programme and Policy, based in WFP’s headquarters in Rome, Italy. Before that, Mr. Kaatrud served in Bangkok as WFP’s Regional Director for Asia & the Pacific Bureau. In various senior positions in Emergencies, Assessment & Analysis, and Logistics over the years, he had a lead role in building WFP’s internal response capacity, developing key strategic partnerships and strengthening inter-agency coordination.

Mr. Kaatrud has been involved in leading humanitarian and development work for the past 30 years, having worked with Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in addition to WFP, with longstanding experience in supporting and coordinating operations across the globe. He holds two master’s degrees in International Affairs/Economic Development and Urban Planning from Columbia University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).