Lassina Zerbo is the Executive Secretary of the CTBTO, a position which he assumed in 2013. Soon after Dr. Zerbo initiated the establishment of the Group of Eminent Persons (GEM), comprising internationally recognized personalities and experts to promote the Treaty’s entry into force. In 2016, he announced the creation of the CTBTO Youth Group to also engage the younger generation in advancing the aims of the Treaty.
Lassina Zerbo secured China’s resumed technical cooperation with the CTBTO, signalling a new phase of cooperation. The success of the Integrated Field Exercise 2014 in Jordan, a simulated on-site inspection, reflected the CTBTO’s capabilities under his leadership. He previously served as Director of the organization’s International Data Centre (IDC).
His international career started with a position as research geophysicist with BHP Minerals International. He subsequently worked as project geophysicist for the company’s Africa programmes, based in Virginia, USA. Upon joining Anglo American Exploration in 1995, Zerbo assumed the role of Divisional Principal Geophysicist for Africa.
Dr. Zerbo obtained a PhD in Geophysics from the Université de Paris XI, France.