Petra Hand

Petra Hand is the associate director of The Kavli Prize, leading the program in collaboration with its prize partners, The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research. She directs the Prize strategy and activities by leveraging her extensive expertise in international relations, policy, communications, diplomacy and culture. Petra also serves as the liaison for the Fred Kavli Knowledge Center in Norway, founded on the family farm and birthplace of Fred Kavli.

Prior to joining the foundation in 2017, Petra managed her own consulting practice specializing in public-private sector partnerships, primarily working with U.S. and EU firms with operations in the MENA region, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Petra began her career at the United Nations, serving 10 years as a political and humanitarian affairs officer, and top aide to Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs (2004-08), to Joint UN-African Union Chief Mediator for the Darfur Peace Process (2008-10), to Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan (2010-11) and to Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq (2013-15). Her work coordinating large-scale humanitarian relief efforts and mediating complex political conflicts took her to over 40 countries across four continents – with the beauty of Afghanistan being her favorite. Recognized as a creative system’s thinker, she developed unique approaches to funding appeals and built successful alliances for peace and development by facilitating partnerships between local communities and government, nonprofit and industry stakeholders.

Petra’s pulpable love for people, cultures, and travel stem from the limitations of growing up in communist Czechoslovakia. She loves meeting people; please reach out to connect! She celebrates her U.S. citizenship by actively serving her local community in areas of women’s issues, human rights, and world and cultural affairs. She is also the artist behind the Peaceful Eyes by Petra Hand project. She fancies herself a stand-up comedy connoisseur and a stained-glass dilettante. Petra holds a master’s degree from Tufts University, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a Women in Leadership certificate from Cornell University. She is fluent in six languages, well, seven if you count “dog whispering”.