David Quinn to Lead DAI’s Work in Humanitarian and Crisis Response

April 20, 2026

We are delighted to announce that David Quinn has joined DAI to lead the company’s work in humanitarian and crisis response. Pre-eminent in his field, David has extensive experience designing and leading effective emergency operations in some of the world’s most challenging and unstable environments.

As the head of DAI’s Humanitarian Affairs Practice, David will be based in the United Kingdom, leading a global team operating from London and other corporate locations, ensuring coordination across DAI’s public and private sector consulting practices, and deepening the firm’s capacity to design and deliver timely, effective, principled crisis responses in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

“We’re delighted to welcome David to the team,” said Senior Vice President Eric Postel. “DAI has a long history in humanitarian support, crisis response, conflict mitigation, supply chain management, logistics, and transitions from emergency relief to forward-looking recovery. We’re committed to making our humanitarian practice a powerful enabler for our clients and the people they serve. David is a key part of that vision.”

David began his career with Médecins Sans Frontières. He joined the United Kingdom’s flagship humanitarian and stabilization initiative in 2013, where he helped respond to sudden onset crises around the world, rapidly progressing through the ranks due to his operational judgment and assured leadership.

During the Covid 19 pandemic, he served as Team Leader for a major U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office effort to help the British Overseas Territories diagnose, treat, and prevent the spread of the virus. His leadership during this period earned him an MBE for services to public health.

David joins DAI from Palladium, where he was responsible for project delivery and development in the humanitarian and stabilization sectors. Previously, at Crown Agents, he served as Head of Humanitarian Supply Chain and then established the company’s Crisis, Response & Recovery Unit, overseeing a range of critical projects in Iraq, Kenya, Syria, Ukraine, and other high-risk environments. In Myanmar, for example, he helped deliver the British government’s £86 million Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Programme Facility, which funded life-saving assistance in the face of ongoing conflict, ethnic divisions, and mass displacement of Rohingya and other communities from 2016 to 2022.

“I’m thrilled to be joining DAI at this pivotal time for the humanitarian assistance enterprise,” David said. “Given the scale of the challenges at hand, we must constantly refresh our thinking while drawing on everything we have learned in the sector over recent years. DAI’s proven capabilities will be a real asset for our clients as they seek out better ways to address fast-moving humanitarian crises around the world.”