Xavier Castellanos Mosquera has more than three decades experience in National Society development, resilience building and emergency humanitarian operations at national, regional and global levels.

He has served the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in various capacities since 1981, when he started as a volunteer with the National Society of Ecuador. He joined the IFRC in 1998 after Hurricane Mitch in Central America.

Prior to his appointment as Under Secretary General, Xavier served as Regional Director for Asia Pacific. In this role, he provided strategic and operational leadership on disaster preparedness and response to COVID-19, tsunamis and earthquakes and other health and disaster-related emergencies. He has also previously served as Regional Director for the Americas, along with various other leadership positions across the Movement.