Laura Leyser has been appointed as Secretary General of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International. Leyser takes up her role, which leads the executive arm of MSF International, as of March 1, 2026.
An Austrian national, Leyser has over 20 years’ experience working in international development roles, including at the Austrian Development Agency and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). Throughout her career, she has worked in Vienna, London, Mozambique, and in Nepal, where she helped to lead the UK’s response to the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
After working for DFID in senior management roles, Leyser joined MSF Austria in 2018, becoming its General Director, and chairing a number of MSF strategic and leadership platforms.
