Yann D. Luthi, MSc Crisis & Disaster Management 2020

Full Name: Yann Luthi
Graduation Year: 2020
Course Studied: MSc Crisis & Disaster Management
Job Title: Logistics & Procurement Officer
Employer/Organisation Name: ACLED (a Non Governmental Organisation registered in the USA)

What are you doing now you have graduated from the University of Lincoln?: I graduated with a degree of Crisis and Disaster Management, however I decided to specialise in supply chain and logistics after finding a passion for humanitarian logistics during one of my modules. I am now part of the Operations Team and am responsible for purchasing goods and services for all departments as well as coordinating logistics for team retreats and various events across different countries. I joined ACLED in April 2023 after having completed several missions in Jordan, Congo, Mozambique with a French Humanitarian Organisation. The various missions I completed abroad allowed me to get valuable experiences in difficult environments and to familiarise myself with the non profit sector.

Best thing about the job: The best thing about my job is being able to work in a fully remote work setting and being able to be based in different countries. This means that I am in daily contact with interesting and driven people based all over the world. I am also given new projects and responsibilities regularly. This allows me to step out of my comfort zone and grow consistently in my role. My current focus is coordinating and planning an organisation wide team retreat with hundreds of participants in Morocco.

Career highlight so far: I have been based in 5 different countries so far and was able to gradually evolve in new roles.  I have successfully set up a new office and logistics base of operations in Mozambique for an international NGO. 

Any top tips: Trust the process, be patient and focus on short term goals that will feed into your long term goals. If you have a vision of where you want to go you are already are on good track. Always try new things and be open minded whether it is with people or being given more responsibilities. Never stop learning even after you’ve graduated 😉 If you are interested in starting out a career in NGOs volunteering and internships are a great way to start. Showing interest and conviction also goes a long way. 

What was your favourite thing about the University of Lincoln: My time at Lincoln was very pleasant and I have made many new connections with whom I am still in contact now. I loved that the Professors were very driven and passionate about their subjects. I really like that the entire campus and Lincoln city is walkable and the facilities are really great. Being by the Witham river gives a unique charm to Lincoln and it is a lovely and peaceful city. My time there was cut short due to Covid-19 but I would have loved to stay longer.