January 22, 2020 — The International Rescue Committee welcomes Laura Kyrke-Smith as the Executive Director of the International Rescue Committee in the UK.
Laura will be leading IRC’s work in the UK, with a mission to raise awareness, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and reclaim control of their future.
Laura has been with IRC since 2016 as the IRC’s Director of Communications in Europe. Before joining IRC, Laura worked at Portland Communications. She started her career in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office where she worked as a policy analyst and speechwriter.
Speaking about her new role as UK Executive Director, Laura Kyrke-Smith said:
“I am really excited to be leading the International Rescue Committee in the UK.
Our UK supporters play a vital role in our mission to help people caught up in the world’s toughest crises, from Syria to Libya to Yemen.”
“Over 70 million people have been forced to flee their homes around the world, which makes the IRC’s work more important than ever.”
“In particular I will focus on the IRC’s incredible work to protect and empower women and girls, who so often suffer disproportionately in conflicts and crises.”
You can follow Laura on Twitter here.