Elhadj As Sy is a Senegalese global health and humanitarian leader with more than three decades of senior leadership across the United Nations system, major global health partnerships, and the international humanitarian movement. He is widely recognised for advancing health security, community resilience, multilateral cooperation, and equitable global health governance.

He served as Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) from 2014 to 2019, leading the world’s largest humanitarian network and strengthening community-based preparedness and response systems.  Mr. Sy currently holds several high-level governance and advisory roles, including Chair of the Board, Kofi Annan Foundation, Co-Chair, Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (WHO–World Bank), Co-Chair, World Health Summit Council, Chair of the Board, Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) – supporting Africa’s vaccine manufacturing, epidemic intelligence, and regional health security architecture, Member of multiple global boards, including Wellcome, Interpeace, the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, and the African Child Policy Forum and Former member of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee and the UN Global Health Crises Task Force

In 2024, he was appointed the first Chancellor of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, reflecting his long-standing commitment to strengthening health systems and research capacity in low- and middle-income countries.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Sy held senior leadership roles across the UN and global health system, including UNICEF – Director of Partnerships and Resource Development (New York), Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, and Global Emergency Coordinator for the Horn of Africa, UNDP – Director of the HIV/AIDS Practice, UNAIDS – Representative in New York and Director of the New York Liaison Office, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – Africa Regional Director and Director of Operational Partnerships and Country Support and ENDA Tiers Monde (Dakar) – Director of Health and Development Programmes

Mr Elhadj As Sy holds a bachelor’s degree in arts and human sciences from the University of Dakar. He then pursued Master’s studies in Arts and Germanistik at the University of Graz and graduated from the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. He was also awarded a postgraduate diploma in Education from the École normale supérieure in Dakar. He speaks English, French and German and is a national of Senegal.