Marina Catena

Marina Catena is an Italian humanitarian. She is the director of the United Nations World Food Programme (Paris), Lieutenant of the Italian Army (Specialized Reserve) and writer.
Career.
She obtained the International Baccalaureate at the United World College of the Adriatic, and attended the Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli (LUISS) in Rome, where she graduated in Political Sciences (International Relations) and the Institut D'Etudes Politiques (Strasbourg). She worked as a flight attendant for Air France.
Since 1999, she is an official of the United Nations World Food Programme. She is the director of the United Nations World Food Program for France and Monaco, Paris. In 2015, she conceived, managed and launched the global awareness campaign "805 million names" with football star Zlatan Ibrahimović and ad agency Forsman & Bodenfors. 
She was Special Advisor to Minister Bernard Kouchner, Special Representative of the Secretary General to Peace keeping operation in Kosovo UNMIK (1999-2001). She served as Special Advisor to Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq (2003). She served as United Nations Blue Helmet in UNIFIL Peace keeping Operation in Lebanon with Paratroopers Brigade "Folgore" (2007) and with Bersaglieri Brigade "Garibaldi" (2019). She served in Operazione Strade Sicure Esercito Italiano with Granatieri di Sardegna.
She was awarded Chevalier Ordre national du Mérite by President Nicolas Sarkozy (2009) and Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (2018).