Humanitarian Initiative for Leadership and Learning – HILL Collective
The Collective: who are we?
We are a team of trusted, experienced and respectful practitioners and facilitators.
We prioritize a collaborative and inclusive posture – welcoming other aid workers, in the spirit of cooperation within our humanitarian, development, human rights and security risk management communities of practice.
Our diverse collaborations and contributions stem from direct requests. We care about providing meaningful support when and where it is needed.
Our mission is to strengthen individual, operational and organizational resilience in a complex and changing world where basic people needs and dignity are tested in rapidly deteriorating environmental and geopolitical conditions.
Fondateurs. Founding Team
Experience. Trust and Passion
The HILL Collective was founded in 2019 by Patrick Robitaille and Christine Persaud. The concept was to connect together under a collective, people we knew well and who demonstrated key values and experience that would be helpful in strengthening trusted
Christine Persaud
Duty of Care
Christine has worked in the humanitarian sector since 1999, with organizations like Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children, CARE, the Red Cross in regions such as Chechnya, South Sudan, and Haiti, focusing on emergency response project coordination, and security risk management. She serves as a role model for women in security and has gained recognition for her work in gendered and risk management within the aid sector. Christine has authored several influential publications, including guidelines for mainstreaming gender in security risk management. Currently, she works as an independent filmmaker and provides humanitarian and security management to various organizations and universities.
Œuvrant dans le domaine humanitaire depuis 1999, Christine Persaud a d’abord travaillé comme coordinatrice de projets pour diverses ONG, dont Médecins Sans Frontières en plus de mandats à Affaires mondiales Canada, comme agente principale de programme à la Direction de l’assistance humanitaire.
Depuis 2003, elle continue à répondre en urgences humanitaires mais surtout comme conseillère principale en sécurité et en gestion du risque au niveaux stratégique et opérationnel pour plusieurs grandes organisations entre autre la Croix-Rouge internationale, CARE, Save the Children, Human Rights Watch, Mission Inclusion etc. (évaluation de situations d’urgences, formation, rédaction de politiques. principes et planning de sécurité, matériel de formation, les protocoles de gestion de crises et de politiques et procédures en matière d’incidents impliquant des otages. Elle travaille étroitement parmi l'équipe de l'observatoire canadien de crise
Patrick Robitaille
Humanitarian Practice
Patrick Robitaille est responsable des affaires humanitaires chez Save the Children Canada et un haut responsable humanitaire qui compte plus de 20 ans d'expérience dans les interventions d'urgence, la direction opérationnelle, l'engagement politique et le renforcement des capacités.
Patrick Robitaille est responsable des affaires humanitaires chez Save the Children Canada, avec plus de 20 ans'expérience dans l'aide d'urgence et la directionnelle. Il a occupé des postes importants sein de la Croix-Rouge, de MSF, de CARE et de Médecins du Monde, participant à plus de 30 missions d'urgence à travers le monde. Après avoir commencé sa carrière comme logisticien, a géré des opérations complexes, notamment en Haïti après le tremment de terre de 2010. Actuellement, il ense la gestion des ONG internationales a une maîtrise en sciences politiques.
Outre ses fonctions de direction opérationnelle, Patrick a mené plus de 15 évaluations indépendantes et missions de conseil pour des ONG, des entités de la Croix-Rouge et des agences des Nations unies, se spécialisant dans le suivi et l'évaluation, la responsabilité humanitaire, la gestion des risques et la formation dans des environnements à haut risque.
Il enseigne actuellement la gestion des ONG internationales à l'Université Laval et dispense régulièrement des formations sur le leadership humanitaire, la gestion de la sécurité, la négociation en situation de crise et la coordination opérationnelle.
Patrick est titulaire d'une maîtrise en sciences politiques et d'une licence en communication et marketing.
Collective members
Wayne Nightingale
Wayne is an experienced humanitarian and security advisor with over 25 years in humanitarian aid and risk management. He has held senior positions at a major International NGO across Africa and Asia, focusing on risk mitigation, policy development and staff safety. Wayne mentors security teams in over 20 countries, enhancing local capacity and fostering growth for national staff. His military background and field experience in conflict zones provide him with a unique perspective on complex security challenges. Wayne is a University of Manitoba graduate and lives in Ottawa with his family.
Hal Hemming
Hal is a retired Canadian Armed Forces member with 15 years of service as a combat engineer, including operational experience in Afghanistan. He has instructed various topics, such as small arms and explosive ordnance disposal, and holds advanced qualifications in CBRN defense and tactical medicine. Hal has contributed to SiCE training for the CRC, providing classroom and simulation training for diverse professionals. In his spare time, he enjoys bladesmithing, blacksmithing, skydiving, and rock climbing.
Lena Watkins
Lena was born and raised in Europe and is a long-time resident of Ottawa. She holds a post-secondary degree in biology (specializing in genetics) and she remains ever curious about the complex biology and function of the human body. She has experience organizing and facilitating a broad range of training events, in addition to acting as a SiCE role-player and assistant-instructor on asymmetric warfare and tactical medicine topics. In her spare time Lena enjoys reading horror fiction, exploring new foods, hiking, herding cats, and perfecting her one-match-fire making techniques.