Geneva – Laura Leyser has been appointed as Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International. Ms Leyser takes up her role, which leads the executive arm of MSF International, as of 1 March 2026.

An Austrian national, Ms 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, Ms Leyser joined MSF Austria in 2018, becoming its General Director, and chairing a number of MSF strategic and leadership platforms. 

Ms Leyser holds master’s degrees in development, management, and anthropology from the University of Vienna and the London School of Economics. She joins MSF International as Secretary General, taking over from Christopher Lockyear, who held the role since October 2018.

“I’m very pleased to welcome Laura as MSF International’s next executive leader,” says Dr Javid Abdelmoneim, MSF International President. “Her decades of experience across international development and leadership roles will be a valuable asset as we tackle the complex demands of the years ahead.”

“Chris has been an outstanding leader over the last nearly seven and a half years,” says Dr Abdelmoneim. “Chris leaves a profound, lasting legacy at MSF, and I sincerely thank him for his years of steady, assured leadership, through some of the most difficult challenges MSF has yet faced.”