Head of the HALO Trust Europe Foundation

Simon Tiller

Head of the HALO Trust Europe Foundation

“I’d like to point out that things don’t always go the way you want them to go, and it should never hold you back. It’s part of life!” 

Meet Simon

• Simon’s story sheds light on successful career transitions, what it is like to pivot between different professional paths, and the value of transferable skills. Much of the advice Simon has to offer stems from his cross-sectoral experiences and is applicable to careers of all kinds!
• His current role is at The HALO Trust Europe Foundation, a humanitarian landmine clearing organisation operating in some of the world’s most fragile and conflict-affected areas. As Head of the Europe branch, Simon’s responsibilities include strategic alignment with donor priorities, increasing (or protecting) donor funding, and raising the organisation’s visibility in European circles.
• Initially building upon a successful career in commercial roles in the private sector, Simon transitioned into diplomacy looking for work that gave him more meaning. He spent ten years working as an international civil servant stationed in conflict-affected areas in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus, drafting political reports and taking part in official peace negations.

Read more and find out everything!

Sector

Working in Humanitarian Efforts

• Simon works within: Conflict Resolution, Political Analysis, and Peacebuilding
• Why this Path? Simon’s early years were fulfilling, as he developed business strategy skills through his consultancy roles. “Everything can be a learning experience” he notes while discussing the relevance of each job position, regardless of the title or personal fulfilment. However, he longed for something more meaningful, something aligned with his goal of making the world a more humane place. Having long dreamed of becoming a diplomat, Simon managed to transfer into the role and spend a few years working for the Foreign Office. ”I had waited all my life to try diplomacy. It was my childhood dream… and I did not like working in that organisation”, he declares, realising that his time in the UK civil service left him unsatisfied. However, by focusing on his area of interest and expertise, Eurasia, he found his role and purpose in international and humanitarian organisations. Later appointed as director of The HALO Trust Europe, working on landmine clearing operations internationally, Simon’s diplomatic and business skills continue to serve him well today.
• What’s in the sectors’ future? “The sector is currently undergoing a profound transition, with cuts to aid budgets from most European donors. This is due to low rates of economic growth in Europe, the rise of right-wing or populist governments who are more sceptical of the value of overseas aid, and the necessity to respond to the war in Ukraine by raising defence spending.” As an optimist, Simon believes this is a periodic pendulum swing. He predicts that within the next five years, many governments will realise that they can have a better impact on the world by investing in aid programmes rather than by prioritising defence or domestic spending on their own.

Skills

Want to find out how Simon landed the job he’s currently in? 

• Balancing productivity and efficiency with staying level-headed in high-pressure environments. These are highly valued skills in the type of high stress settings Simon has experienced with humanitarian crisis and conflict area work.
• Transferable skills. He credits much of his success to establishing credibility by focusing on transferable skills, believing no job is too small or irrelevant for building a skillset that will last throughout your career. He refers to personal examples such as critical thinking, report writing, active listening, research, and human connectivity skills that he’s strengthened across roles in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors.
• Leveraging experience from each role. For Simon, it’s also about long-term strategy and vision. Channeling the growth of skills over time, in combination with the ability to apply a wide perspective on your professional growth from opportunity to opportunity, are essential to success:

“Understand that your career is a marathon. You don’t have to win today and then win again tomorrow… as long as you have the right strategy over time. It’s like playing poker. Sometimes the cards are against you, but if you have the right strategy, and if you’re playing the odds by building up your skills, thinking creatively, building connections in your network, and the like, even if you get many rejections, the strategy will see you through.” 

Advice & Tips

• Simon advises seeking out and developing a mentor relationship within your organisation. This can accelerate your professional growth not only by forming a potential life-long connection with more senior staff, but by helping you identify opportunities for growth while providing inspiration for one another.

“I find that interpersonal relations and the commitment you make to the people you work with are really important. The mission of the organisation may come and go, but in the end, it’s the people that you surround yourself with that will most be able to help you discover and hone your skills and values”

• According to Simon, being in tune with your motivations and aligning them with a constant sense of curiosity are helpful guiding principles throughout major career decisions and developments.

“Everything is a learning experience, even when you get your heart broken or your hopes are dashed, it gives you an opportunity to understand yourself better. If you can think about adversity as a way of helping you to develop a deeper understanding of yourself – like catching a cold and your body learning to fight the virus – then every brush with adversity can help you grow.” 

• Lastly, Simon views disappointments as part of the reality of life, with factors such as workplace atmosphere, dynamics, and protocol strongly impacting job-place satisfaction. Such setbacks are faced by every professional and in Simon’s experience serve as a time to re-evaluate and remain open to career transitions.

“I’d like to point out that things don’t always go the way you want them to go, and it should never hold you back. It’s part of life!” 

• Curriculum Vitae

  HALO Trust Foundation, Head of Halo Europe, [2022-present]

  The Hague Humanity Hub, Member of the Programme Advisory Board, [2023-present]

  Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Member of Roster of Mediation Experts, [2014-2022]

  OSCE, Member of Roster of Independent Human Rights Experts, [2014-2022]

  OSCE, Reporting & Political Analysis Roles in Ukraine and Tbilisi, [2014-2022]

  International Alert, Head of the Eurasia Programme, [2010-2014]

  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Head of the South Caucasus Team & Regional Conflict Prevention, [2008-2010]

  Royal Mail International Affairs, Regional Director Europe, [1999-2008]

  AssiDomän, European Business Development Manager, [1997-1999]

  The Performance Group, Management Consultant, [1994-1996]

  The European Commission, Bluebook Trainee, [1993]

Connection to The Hague Humanity Hub:

• Hub member via HALO Trust
• Chair of the Programming Advisory Board of The Hague Humanity Hub (2023-2025), Member of the PAB (2022-2023; 2025-present)