Laura Thisted

As Deputy Head of the Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs, Laura oversees the strategic development and implementation of the Academy’s different streams of work.

With a background in humanitarian aid and peacebuilding, Laura has worked in several humanitarian contexts, including Syria and surrounding countries, Mozambique, the DRC, Sierra Leone, and Burundi.

As former Syria country coordinator for the think-tank REACH Initiative, Laura led efforts to facilitate evidence-based decision-making in the Syria humanitarian response.

She has also held positions in programme management, research, and monitoring and evaluation with Medair, PeaceDirect, and GlobalGiving.