Gary Toombs is the Land Release and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technical Director within the Armed Violence Reduction (AVR) Technical Division at Humanity & Inclusion (HI). A former British Army Bomb Disposal Officer, he has over 30 years of professional experience spanning military, commercial, and humanitarian contexts. He is an advanced EOD and improvised explosive device disposal (IEDD) specialist with extensive operational experience in high-risk and complex environments, including Ukraine, Gaza, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. His work focuses on technical governance, operational assurance, and the development and oversight of land release and EOD methodologies in active and post-conflict settings.
Gary holds a Master’s degree in Transnational Organised Crime from Staffordshire University and a Certificate in Terrorism Studies from the University of St Andrews. He joined Humanity & Inclusion in 2016 as a Senior Technical Advisor, providing technical support to humanitarian mine action and armed violence reduction programmes. He currently leads HI’s global land release and EOD operations, overseeing a team of specialist personnel and supporting field programmes across multiple conflict-affected regions.
