Schmale

As the Under Secretary General of Programme Services at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Mr. Schmale is responsible for overseeing the IFRC’s disaster management delivery, health and social services work, and providing support to the 186 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies worldwide.
Prior to becoming Under Secretary General, Mr. Schmale fulfilled a number of leadership roles in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. Most recently, he was Under Secretary General for Development at the IFRC. He served as the International Director at the British Red Cross from 2005 to 2009. Previously, he worked for the Movement from 1985 to 1998 in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Kenya in field operations, programme management and organizational development.
Other organizations that Mr. Schmale has served include the German Agency for Technical Cooperation and Save the Children Alliance where he was Deputy CEO.
Mr. Schmale holds a PhD from Berlin Free University in development economics with a focus on building sustainable organizations.
Born in Mochudi, Botswana, he is fluent in German and English and also speaks French and Kiswahili.