Maria Thorin

Background

About Maria Thorin

All opinions expressen here are my own, not my employers. With more than 20 years of international development and humanitarian experience, I bring seasoned strategic leadership and deep expertise in global humanitarian and development cooperation. I have a proven track record of forging high-impact partnerships with UN agencies, NGOs and donor governments to drive people-centred social transformation and sustainable poverty reduction. In my current role as Global Senior Humanitarian Advisor (Results Department), I oversee humanitarian aid, climate adaptation, anticipatory action, cash programming, sustainable programming, famine prevention and food-security initiatives. I lead efforts to enhance outcomes in disaster response, protection and ethical-aid practices—helping ensure global humanitarian action is both principled and results-oriented. I specialise in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement and programme implementation, grounded in a strong commitment to humanitarian principles, ethical standards and accountability. I enjoy designing and executing high-impact strategies and building robust multi-stakeholder coalitions — including non-profits, advocacy groups, UN agencies, the Swedish Government and donor states — to enhance policy and programme effectiveness. Prior to joining the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), I worked with the United Nations on hunger reduction, nutrition and food-security initiatives — including emergency response, school-feeding programmes and broader social-protection systems. As a leader, I like to enhance knowledge development and team coordination, inspire and engage staff, foster collaboration and ensure compliance with agency standards while advancing global humanitarian goals. My analytical rigour allows me to assess complex challenges and translate insights into actionable strategies. I maintain a publication record with the UN and Sida, and bring excellent communication skills in English and Swedish, with fluency in Spanish.