Professor Cécile Aptel Appointed as New Executive Director of the Geneva Academy
Professor Cécile Aptel is joining the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights as its new Executive Director. She succeeds Professor Paola Gaeta who was the Director from August 2024, and co-led the Academy from 2010 to 2014.
Professor Aptel brings over 30 years of experience from senior leadership and advisory roles across the United Nations, the Red Cross Movement, academia and leading think tanks. Her work has focused on shaping international responses to some of today’s most complex human rights and humanitarian challenges, alongside a strong commitment to research and teaching.
The arrival of Professor Aptel coincides with a new governance structure at the Geneva Academy that reinforces the Academy’s institutional identity as a joint center of the Geneva Graduate Institute and the University of Geneva. The two co-presidents are Professor Christian Bovet representing the University of Geneva, now joined by Professor Paola Gaeta, on behalf of the Geneva Graduate Institute.