Laura is known for her thinking on education system change and as a weaver of ideas and connections towards better education for those who most need it. Laura is currently Executive Director of the International Education Funders Group (IEFG), the largest global network of philanthropic foundations and donor-advised funds working towards achieving SDG4, focusing on low and middle-income countries. She is also an Associate at the REAL Centre, University of Cambridge. Prior to her role nurturing a network, Laura was an aid funder over 15 years for the FCDO, AusAID and UNICEF, particularly working on the quality and use of evidence in education, and placed within Ministries of Education to support the coordination of aid behind government education sector plans. Laura has lived and worked in Malaysia, Bangladesh and Malawi and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge on the politics of aid in national education reform.