Relief International

About

More than 300 million people worldwide are in need of humanitarian assistance, as conflict, climate change and natural disasters continue to drive displacement, food insecurity and limited access to essential services. In many fragile and crisis-affected settings, communities face overlapping challenges that threaten both immediate survival and long-term well-being.

Relief International (RI) is a global humanitarian and development organisation working in over 14 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Together with communities affected by crisis, RI delivers integrated programmes spanning health and nutrition, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), education and livelihoods, with protection embedded at the heart of all its work to save lives, strengthen resilience and support long-term recovery.

The Brief

Relief International were looking for an operational Global Human Resources Director to lead their global HR function. This was a crucial time to join Relief International, as the organisation continued to invest in its HR function as a key enabler of its global mission. This role would play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the people function, ensuring RI can attract, support and retain the talent needed to deliver impactful humanitarian and development programmes worldwide.

This role was a unique opportunity for a senior HR professional to drive real, lasting impact across their international operations by strengthening the foundations of HR practice, enhancing team capability, and embedding consistency and compliance across global offices. Given the global scope of the role, prior experience leading and delivering HR strategies within an international non-governmental organisation was essential. In addition, Relief International’s presence in French-speaking countries meant the successful candidate needed at least intermediate French language skills, adding further complexity to the search.

Our Approach

Following consultation with the recruitment panel and leadership team, we developed a targeted search to identify high‑impact, values‑driven Human Resources leaders operating within the humanitarian and NGO sector, who could also bring the French language skills required. The search focused on candidates with proven experience in managing and developing HR policies and processes at a global level, strong knowledge of labour law and international standards, and the ability to lead global teams while fostering an inclusive organisational culture. We also sought individuals with a collaborative leadership style and the capacity to represent Human Resources at a senior strategic level.

Using a targeted head‑hunting approach, complemented by our extensive candidate database and a transparent advertising campaign, we ensured a strong and diverse candidate pool. Throughout the process, we prioritised alignment with Relief International’s values and mission – to support communities affected by conflict, climate change, and natural disasters by saving lives, strengthening resilience, and promoting long‑term health and well‑being.

We received over 295 applications from the role and long-listed six candidates who scored the highest against the key criteria. In consultation with the recruitment panel, we interviewed these six candidates. Three of these candidates progressed to interviews with the recruitment panel, which included the Interim Chief Executive and senior leadership team.    

The Outcome

Anne-France van de Put was appointed to the Global Human Resources Director post. She brings over 20 years of senior‑level HR experience in the non‑profit sector, including a decade working with international non‑governmental organisations.

Prior to this appointment, Anne‑France served as People and Culture Business Partner at Malaria Consortium, one of the world’s leading INGOs dedicated to the prevention, control, and treatment of malaria and other communicable diseases. In this role, she delivered high‑quality HR support to managers and staff across multiple countries, advised country leadership teams on the implementation of HR strategies and processes, and led the development of core HR policies aligned with global standards and local labour legislation. Anne‑France is multilingual and has lived and worked extensively across Africa and Europe.

If you would like support in sourcing exceptional talent into a leadership role in your organisation, find out more about our Executive Search Service or Charity Board Recruitment Service.