Dr. Catalina Jaime is the Head of the REAP Secretariat, representing the Secretariat externally, leading the team and supports setting direction for REAP’s governing bodies. She brings over two decades of experience in humanitarian action, with a strong focus on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and Early Warning Early Action (EWEA). Before joining REAP, Catalina led the Climate and Conflict portfolio at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. She is a Lead Author of the IPCC AR7 report and, since 2021, has led the partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross on the integration of climate risk for their operations worldwide. She played a pivotal role in shaping the global Anticipatory Action agenda, managing the first pilot project in Uganda in 2013, supporting the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in establishing its Anticipatory Action financing mechanism, and co-creating the Anticipation Hub. She holds a PhD in Early Warning and Early Action in conflict settings, is a visiting researcher at the University of Twente, and a trustee at MapAction. 

Gavin is the Thematic Lead for Partnerships and Marketplace at the REAP Secretariat. He is responsible for supporting the Partnership’s early action partners to promote and exchange innovative anticipatory action solutions across the climate, humanitarian and development communities. Prior to this position, Gavin spent much of his career with the Red Cross Movement, coordinating responses to disasters, designing humanitarian guidance documents and training teams on the ground. As a consultant, he has also conducted evaluations of international aid operations and drafted responder curricula. He has a particular passion for humanitarian partnership models and helped launch the World Economic Forum’s Disaster Resource Partnership and the IFRC’s One Billion Coalition initiative. A dual French and US citizen, Gavin worked and lived for 16 years in the Caribbean, Latin America and the Middle East and is now based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Emma is the Implementation Lead with the REAP Secretariat supporting partners to turn ambition in action with a special focus on REAP Target Two and creating an enabling environment to mainstream and scale early action. Former emergency response specialist with almost 15 years experience leading programmes and teams across a variety of complex contexts including armed conflicts, public health crises and climate related disasters. Passionate about cutting through jargon, making sense of science, local leadership and asking hard questions! Happily home based after 10 years of living and working in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria, Ethiopia, Iraq, and Pakistan, Somalia, Philippines.

Montserrat is currently supporting the REAP Secretariat as special advisor, partially seconded from the World Food Programme (WFP), where she works as Programme and Policy Officer for Anticipatory Action, specifically on Knowledge and Learning. She supports REAP’s strategic engagement and contributes to advancing anticipatory action through knowledge management, learning, advocacy, and communications. At WFP, Montserrat leads the development and implementation of knowledge management, communication and learning strategies for anticipatory action, including the creation of learning materials, repositories, and guidance documents. She also supports global advocacy efforts.

Prior to this role, Montserrat held various positions within WFP, including Emergency Preparedness and Response Officer and Programme Officer in multiple regions. Her work has spanned Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia, with a strong focus on capacity strengthening, and emergency preparedness and response. She has also worked with the Spanish Red Cross and NGOs in Central America and East Africa, managing humanitarian projects and supporting refugee operations.

Simon is based in Geneva, Switzerland, currently working as the MEL & Advocacy Coordinator within the REAP Secretariat, the Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (hosted by the IFRC). In his role he leads on operationalising the Partnership's MEL Framework, drawing insights from Partnership successes and challenges to inform strategic decision-making and the evolution of REAP. He also leads on COP engagement, loss and damage policy, and strategic communications. Prior to his role with REAP, he worked for the Platform on Disaster Displacement, also based in Geneva, and brings extensive private sector experience to his work. In his spare time he is rediscovering the joys of skiing, and exploring the landscapes of Switzerland.

Pauline Trepczyk, also known as Paula, is Coordinator, Partnership and Communications for the REAP Secretariat. In her role in REAP, Paula leads on partner engagement and sharing new developments within the partnership and publicly. Prior to this position, Paula was an Associate Advocacy and Communications Officer for the Systematic Observations Financing Facility, hosted by the World Meteorological Organization. Previously, she worked for the UK Government and the UNFCCC COP26 Presidency as a Climate Change Policy Advisor. Paula co-founded and led an NGO focused on empowering Austrian youth in global climate diplomacy and has extensive experience across national institutions, the private sector, and civil society. She holds a degree in Environment and Bio-Resource Management from BOKU University in Vienna. Paula is from Austria with Polish migration history and is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland.