Jean-Philippe Tizi is Chief of Canadian Operations of the Canadian Red Cross. In this role, Jean-Philippe leads all disaster management and response activities across the country. Working closely with key stakeholders and all levels of government, he ensures the needs of vulnerable Canadians and communities are being met.
With over a decade of expertise in emergency response, Jean-Philippe has managed multiple complex humanitarian emergencies both in Canada and around the world. Under his leadership, the Canadian Red Cross launched two of the biggest emergency response operations in the past decade; the 2004 Asian Tsunami and the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. By taking a holistic response to both responses, the Red Cross not only assisted millions in the provision of lifesaving needs in the immediate aftermath of the emergency but worked to ensure communities were healthier, safer and more resilient ahead of the next disaster.
In 2016, Jean-Philippe oversaw the largest domestic response in the Canadian Red Cross’ history after massive wildfires in Alberta forced over 80,000 people from their homes. Throughout this response, Jean-Philippe led a team of over 3,000 Red Cross staff and volunteers who mobilized from all parts of the country to help fellow Canadians affected by this disaster. As part of the early response effort, Jean-Philippe and his team improved the way in which immediate assistance was provided to evacuees with innovative new technical solutions. For the first time in Canada, registered individuals and families received financial assistance through an electronic transfer of funds, an unprecedented technique that has set the stage for future responses.
Jean-Philippe received his Bachelor of Engineering from the National School of Engineering in France, as well as an Executive Masters in Business Administration from the University of Quebec and from Universitié Paris- Dauphine, France. Jean-Philippe is a member and associate expert of the Canadian Research Institute on Humanitarian Crisis and Aid, also known as OCCAH. The Institute is an independent research group, consisting of a group of researchers of different origins who meet the multidisciplinary field of study in humanitarian action.