About the Speaker

Sarah Stuart-Black joined New Zealand Red Cross as the Secretary General in December 2020 and was made a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order for services to emergency management in 2021. Previous to her current role, she held the statutory role of Director Civil Defence Emergency Management for six years in the National Emergency Management Agency and in its predecessor, the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management. Sarah has had a diverse range of experience within New Zealand and England, as well as Ethiopia, Niue and the Solomon Islands. She was a member of the United Nations Disaster Assessment & Coordination Team for nine years and began her career as a registered nurse. Sarah has published a number of papers in international journals and has co-edited three books.