Randolph Kent Interview

Dr Randolph Kent, Director of the Humanitarian Futures Programme at Kings College, London

Dr. Randolph Kent is the director of the Humanitarian Futures Programme at Kings College, London.  Prior to organizing the organization, he served as UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia until April 2002.  He also held the positions of UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Kosovo (1999) and Rwanda (1994-1995), Chief of the UN Emergency Unit in Sudan (1989-1991), and Chief of Emergency Prevention and Preparedness in Ethiopia (1987-1989).  Two of his more recent publications include Dimensions of Crisis Impacts: Humanitarian Crises in 2015 (2007) for the UK Department for International Development, and Responding to Catastrophes: US Innovation in a Vulnerable World (2008).  He earned his MSc and PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Interview Introduction

Ky Luu's Interview Questions:

1.  Now you have had an extremely distinguished career. You have been the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Rwanda, in Kosovo and Somalia. You’ve been the Chief of the Emergency Unit in Sudan, Chief of Emergency Preparedness and Prevention in Ethiopia, and the list goes on. How did you get your start in this career, and why did you choose to enter into this profession?  Hear Randolph Kent's response

2.  You are now head of a program that you created that you mentioned, Futures Programme, that helps organizations anticipate the future risks and helps them think about how to better position themselves and to adjust to that. What keeps you going, what motivates you to continue to be innovative, to continue to want to make an impact in this field?  Hear Randolph Kent's response

3.  You were the Humanitarian Coordinator in Rwanda in 1994 at the beginning of the Great Lakes tragedy. How did that experience affect you?  Hear Randolph Kent's response

4.  Leaders, whether we agree or we disagree, are judged based upon their achievements, based upon results. And your last posting was in Somalia, and one only needs to take a look at Somalia today and things are deteriorating. And the question here really is there are law-protracted, crises whether it be Somalia or Darfur or the Democratic Republic of Congo. And there’s so many professionals in our career here who throw themselves into the situation and there’s a large burn-out rate. What advice would you give based upon the need to be able to look at the future, to be able to stay focused in order to mobilize resources, in order to inspire, in order to be able to do and fulfill the humanitarian mandate.  Hear Randolph Kent's response  

5.  Who are your heroes, and why?  Hear Randolph Kent's response

6.  Randolph, what is your vision for the future, and what is your role in that future?   Hear Randolph Kent's response

7.  Finally, what advice would you offer the young professionals out there that look at you and want to follow in your footsteps?  Hear Randolph Kent's response