Our People

Since our small beginnings over 30 years ago, the HALO family has grown to employ nearly 9,000 staff around the world.

In the countries where we work, we become part of the local community, training and employing men and women from the communities we serve. We create jobs in places where opportunities are often scarce and our local staff make up 98 per cent of our total workforce. Visit our individual country pages to meet some of our local and international staff or view the profiles below for HALO executives.

Our headquarters are in the beautiful Scottish hills of Dumfries and Galloway. We also have offices in Salisbury, UK, and across the Atlantic in Washington DC.

"HALO is committed to making the world a safe place. We clear mines to stop people from being killed and wounded. We restore land for farming and other livelihoods and we restore confidence in countries devastated by war. I am proud of HALO's men and women, many of whom come from villages and towns living with landmines, who work everyday in pursuit of this goal."
James Cowan, CEO, HALO

Chief Executive
James Cowan was a soldier. He joined The Black Watch from Oxford in 1986, serving in Berlin, Northern Ireland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Hong Kong. He helped plan the Kosovo operation in 1999. He commanded in Iraq in 2004 and 2006. He planned the military Olympic security operation of 2012. In 2015 he become HALO’s CEO.

James Cowan

Executive Director, HALO USA
Chris Whatley joined HALO in June 2019. Prior to HALO, Chris served as Executive Director of the United Nations Association of the United States. Chris previously served as Deputy Executive Director of The Council of State Governments (CSG) and began his career as a field-based officer for the International Republican Institute (IRI), leading programs in Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Chris Whatley

Finance Director
Mick joined HALO as Director of Finance in April 2017 and brings a wealth of public, private and not for profit experience to the organisation, including Finance, Project Management, Systems Development, Logistics and ICT. Mick is a keen weekend golfer and enjoys spending time with his young family.

Mick Darby

Head of Congressional Affairs & Strategic Engagement, HALO USA
Kristen joined HALO Trust in 2017 while finishing her Master’s of Public Administration at American University. Previously, Kristen taught argumentation and public speaking courses in the Communication Studies Department at Western Washington University and coached the school’s competitive debate team. Drawing from a background in politics and the non-profit sector, Kristen now manages HALO’s Congressional advocacy and public policy engagement in the U.S.

Kristen Stevens

Head of Philanthropy, HALO USA
Diana joined HALO Trust in late 2019 and brings 24 years of experience in philanthropy and programming from several prominent organizations. She started her career with two different UN Agencies in Albania and Kosovo where she worked first-hand in humanitarian relief and is very passionate about mine action post-conflict. At HALO, she oversees plans for U.S. philanthropy and communications, manages foundation and corporate partners and works closely with executive leadership.

Diana Tatili

Head of Communications, HALO USA
Jen joined HALO Trust in early 2024 and brings more than three decades of communications experience. Following many years doing human rights work and serving as a Beijing-based journalist for the South China Morning Post, she moved on to lead the communications departments for NGOs including Global Communities, Land O’Lakes International Development, Living Goods and PAI. She obtained her M.A. focused on conflict management from GWU, has worked and traveled in 50+ countries, and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Jen Hyman

Finance & Administration Manager, HALO USA
Rebecca joined HALO Trust in June 2023, bringing over two decades of finance and administrative experience to her role. With previous positions ranging from roles at Kinder Morgan and Dyson Capital Advisors to The Nature Conservancy, her career began with service as a Senior Airman with the Air National Guard. Rebecca received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management from the University of West Georgia and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Beyond her professional and academic accomplishments, Rebecca is passionate about helping others and enjoys painting and creating elaborate Excel spreadsheets.

Rebecca Warren

Grassroots Advocacy Associate, HALO USA
Lauren Henasey is the Grassroots Advocacy Associate at the HALO Trust. Previously, she was a Field Coordinator with the Conservation Voters of PA where she managed hundreds of environmental advocates in her home county of Bucks County, PA. Prior to that, she worked as a Research Associate at the National Endowment for Democracy supporting international civil society activists advocating for democracy and human rights. She also worked for the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University and with the Women's Foreign Policy Group. She received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in International Politics with a focus on Security Studies.

Lauren Henasey

Our UK Staff

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