Meet the MapAction core management team. 

Darren Dovey, CEO: [email protected]

Darren Dovey – KFSM, MSc, BSc(Hons), MIFireE – joined MapAction in October 2023 as Head of Emergency Response. In May 2025, he took over on a temporary basis as CEO and was then appointed permanent CEO In November 2025.

Darren had a long and distinguished career in the Fire Service and UK Resilience.  He joined in 1987 as a full time firefighter. In 2016, having already worked in various Services, Darren was made Chief Fire Officer for Northamptonshire.  During his tenure as Chief Fire Officer, Darren led the service through the transition from the difficulties within Northamptonshire County Council to become, at the time, the only County Council Fire and Rescue Service to transfer its political governance to a Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. In his time as CFO, Darren also led Northamptonshire FRS through the COVID pandemic as well as playing a pivotal role as the Chair of the Counties Local Resilience Forum, the body that oversees preparedness and response for major emergencies in the County.

Darren has a BSc in Social Sciences with Politics and Economics, an MSc in Crisis and Disaster Management, has completed the Fire Service Executive Leadership Programme and is a Qualified Gold (Strategic) Commander having completed the UK Multi Agency Gold Command Course.

Darren was awarded the Kings Fire Service Medal (the First time they had been awarded in the name of the new King) in the 2022/23 New Years Honours in recognition of his distinguished career.

FInd out more about Darren here: Former fire chief Darren Dovey announced as MapAction CEO

Marina Kobzeva, Director of Impact and Locally-Led Practice: [email protected]

Marina joined MapAction as Head of Partnerships in 2025. She is a seasoned aid worker with 19 years of experience in the humanitarian sector, acquired in technical, management and leadership roles working at country, regional and global levels. Marina previously worked with the Red Cross, the UN and INGOs. She enjoys leading teams and building equitable partnerships.

Ian Davis, Director of Income: [email protected]

Ian joined MapAction in 2014 and later becoming Director of Income in 2017. He is responsible for leading MapAction’s fundraising and external marketing activities. He has worked in fundraising and communications since 1992 for organisations such as People & Planet, Child Bereavement UK and Oxfam and until 2023, he was a board member of the H2H Network.

Alice Almond, Director of Humanitarian Operations: [email protected] 

Alice joined MapAction in 2022 as Head of Capacity Building and Emergency Response Operations. In her current role as Director of Humanitarian Operations, Alice leads MapAction’s emergency and surge response operations, while also overseeing the organisation’s capacity-strengthening initiatives and supporting and training its team of expert volunteers. Alice previously worked for Save the Children UK, ACTED and Adam Smith International and has a background in WASH. 

Daniel Soares, Director of GIS & Data Services: [email protected]

Daniel came to MapAction as a volunteer in 2020 before joining the staff team in 2023. In his current role as Director of GIS and Data Services he coordinates MapAction’s portfolio of technical services and products. Besides English, Daniel is fluent in French and Portuguese. Previous to joining MapAction, he worked in the private sector combining projects in climate strategy, open data and renewable energy after obtaining a degree in engineering at l’École Polytechnique (France).