Laura Kyrke-Smith is the executive director of the International Rescue Committee in the U.K. She leads IRC’s work to raise funds, raise awareness, and deliver policy and practice change to help people who are caught up in conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. Laura has been with IRC since 2016 as the IRC’s director of communications in Europe. Before joining IRC, Laura was a partner at Portland Communications. She started her career in the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office where she worked as a policy analyst and speechwriter.