Laura Kyrke-Smith was appointed executive director of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in the UK in 2019. The IRC is a global organisation founded in 1933 – at the request of Albert Einstein. It now works across 40 countries resettling refugees and helping them become self-sufficient. As executive director, Kyrke-Smith is responsible for delivering policy and practice change and increasing funding. She has been with IRC since 2015, when she joined as director of communications in Europe – her previous experience at Portland Communications working with philanthropic clients having bolstered her skills and connections in this area. Kryke-Smith has also worked in government and foreign affairs; she started her career in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a policy analyst and speechwriter.
