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Valon Kumnova

Valon Kumnova joined the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) in September 2019. As the Director of Operations, he oversees the mine action and ammunition management work, providing leadership and strategic steering for the Centre. This role entails leading five critical operational divisions: Standards and Operations; Inclusive Risk Reduction; Information Management; Strategies, Performance and Impact and Ammunition Management Advisory Team. Before assuming his current position, Valon served as the Chief of Mine Action Programmes at the GICHD.

With considerable experience in Explosive Ordnance Risk Reduction sector, Valon worked for the HALO Trust for 20 years prior to joining GICHD. Throughout his career, he established EO risk reduction programmes in various geographical regions, including South Asia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. He also managed programmes and operations across Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, the South Caucasus, and the Horn of Africa. From 2009 to 2019, Valon held several senior director roles at HALO Trust, including Regional Director, Chief of Staff, and Director of Strategy. In his early career, Valon worked for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). 

Valon is IMAS 3+ EOD qualified and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the Edinburgh Business School.

  • Organisation Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)
  • Unit Chief of Mine Action Programmes
  • E-mail v.kumnova(at)gichd.org
  • Working Languages English, Albanian, Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian