Appointed Director general of the University Hospital of Geneva (HUG) as of September 1st 2024, Robert Mardini held the office of Director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from March 2020 to March 2024. As such, he led the ICRC’s humanitarian operations, conducted by its 20,000 staff in over 100 countries and territories.
He took up office at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and together with his leadership team, ensured worldwide continuity of the ICRC’s protection and assistance activities and the promotion of the Geneva Conventions. Throughout his tenure, Robert Mardini was a strong advocate within the ICRC for diversity, equity and inclusion, and for partnerships and innovation, placing a strong emphasis on digital transformation at a time in history when armed conflicts are equally unfolding online and in cyberspace.
Over the entire course of his career in the humanitarian sector, through both action and advocacy, Robert Mardini has tirelessly championed the imperative to ensure healthcare continuity for communities affected by armed conflict and natural disasters. He has worked, both at operational and diplomatic levels, against discrimination in access to care, misinformation and violence that targets healthcare structures and services:
He also promoted the development of the ICRC’s activities in the fields of mental health and psychosocial support, thereby expanding the existing array of healthcare services offered by the Geneva-based institution which encompasses: first aid and emergency prehospital care, primary healthcare, hospital care, healthcare in detention and physical rehabilitation.
Robert Mardini holds a Master's degree in civil and hydraulic engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). He began his career at the ICRC in 1997, as an engineer, later becoming the coordinator for the water and sanitation programs in Rwanda and Iraq, before leading the institution's Water & Habitat unit at its headquarters in Geneva.
He went on to hold several high-level positions at the ICRC, including Deputy director-general (2010-2012), Near and Middle East regional director (2012-2018), and Permanent Observer of the ICRC to the United Nations and Head of the New York Delegation (2018-2020).
In 2020, he received the EPFL Alumni Award, a distinction awarded to former graduates who have led exceptional careers, "in recognition of his skills, strategic vision, and commitment, which have shaped a distinguished career within one of the most essential international organizations, thereby directly contributing to the protection of human lives around the world."
In 2021, Robert Mardini was elected life member of The Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW, "in recognition of his ability to mobilize his teams to provide effective emergency aid to victims of major armed conflicts."
Robert Mardini has been a member of the Diplomatic Club of Geneva since 2020 and of the EPFL Strategic advisory board since 2022. He became an Executive in Residence of the IMD International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne in January 2024. A dual national of Switzerland and Lebanon, he is married and has two daughters.
photo credit: UN Today
