Dr Randolph Kent

Dr Randolph Kent is a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a Visiting Professor at the African Leadership Centre at King’s College London, Honorary Professor at University College London’s Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, as well as a member of the Global Science Forum of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Prior to those appointments, he directed the Humanitarian Futures Programme at King’s College London, where he and his staff worked from 2004 to 2016 with a wide range of multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental organisations to strengthen their strategic and planning capacities for dealing with longer-term disaster threats.

Dr Kent accepted his post at King’s College London, after completing his assignment as UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia in April 2003. Prior to his assignment in Somalia, he served as UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Kosovo [1999], UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Rwanda [1994-1995], Chief of the UN Emergency Unit in Sudan [1989-1991] and Chief of Emergency Prevention and Preparedness in Ethiopia [1987-1989].

Since leaving the United Nations, much of Dr Kent’s attention has been focused on projects dealing with organisational and systems behaviour. These interests had led to appointments on a range of governmental and non-governmental committees in Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the private sector, he had served on the policy committees of DHL Deutsche Post Sustainability Advisory Council and Deloitte’s Humanitarian Innovation Panel.

Dr Kent is currently writing a book – Planning from the Future: Why it Matters - intended to guide governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations on ways to address new types and ever more complex disaster threats.