Kilian Kleinschmidt

Kilian Kleinschmidt

Founder & Humanitarian expert

Kilian Kleinschmidt is an international networker, humanitarian and refugee expert with over 25 years of experience in a wide range of countries, emergencies and refugee camps as United Nations official, Aid worker and Diplomat. He recently became known as the “Mayor of Za'atari" when he managed on behalf of UNHCR the refugee camp of Za'atari in Northern Jordan from 2013-2014. Za'atari has become a symbol for new and innovative approaches in refugee and humanitarian management under his leadership.

He is the founder and Chairman of the startup Innovation and Planning Agency (IPA) which aims at connecting the millions of poor and dispossessed with the idle and under-utilized resources and modern technologies of the 21st century through its project SWITxBOARD (http://www.switxboard.net). He is part of a number of initiatives and Projects which aim at global connectivity through better use of globalization. He also advises the Austrian Ministry of Interior on Refugee issues.