New chief executive for HALO

Landmine clearance organisation The HALO Trust has announced James Cowan CBE DSO as its new chief executive.

Cowan is a British Army Officer who commands the 3rd UK Division. He joined the Army in 1982 as a private soldier, and read Modern History at Oxford before commissioning into The Black Watch after Sandhurst in 1987.

In 1995 Cowan completed his MPhil at Cambridge. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 2001, the youngest in the army, and appointed Military Assistant to the Chief of the General Staff during the early days of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

HALO Trust UK Chair Amanda Pullinger said Cowan’s understanding and experience of working in conflict zones and his knowledge running large programmes and projects will be invaluable to HALO.

“James will bring his incredible professionalism to bear leading and shaping our future programme of work. Through 2015 and beyond we are focused on building on our successes to date and extending our work into new regions and pioneering new techniques to continue to reduce casualties. I very much look forward to working with him.”

HALO is headquartered in Scotland, and also has an office in Washington DC. It had income of £24.2m and spending of £25.5m in the year to March 2014, according to Charity Commission filings.

HALO USA chair Cindy McCain said Cowan’s career had seen him bring together geographically and culturally diverse teams of people to achieve shared results, and this experience makes him a “perfect fit” for HALO.

“Since its foundation, HALO has enabled millions of people to return to their homes without fear of death or injury. James’s arrival marks a new, exciting chapter in that ongoing effort and I am pleased to welcome him to the team.”

Cowan said he is ready to move on to a new challenge after over 30 years in the army.

“It is with great pride and excitement that I join The HALO Trust, an organisation that is bringing about real and lasting change to parts of the world living with the legacy of conflict. The staff at HALO are highly skilled and highly dedicated and I look forward to being a part of that incredible team.”