Introducing our new Executive Director: Tom Roth

Welcome to MSF, Tom – actually, welcome back! You spent many years with MSF before moving on to other things. What brought you back?

I think with MSF you never really leave – it’s in the blood. There's an expression from Sudan: once you drink from the Nile, you’ll always come back. MSF has that same effect. It’s that passion for the work we do. I always knew I’d come back to MSF in some form.

How did you start out with MSF, and what inspired that passion?

I was living in Switzerland, and I joined MSF through the Zurich office. I went to China for a year – we had a mission in China in those days, which was great – as a finance and human resources coordinator and working on tuberculosis [TB], HIV, and water and sanitation projects. It was a fabulous experience, especially at that time in China when it was just opening up.

It was transformative experiencing that proximity to the work, and that deep medical expertise that we had, like trying to solve the problem of multi-drug-resistant TB in its earliest days. That became one of my lifelong passions in MSF: neglected diseases and how we can make a difference in that space.

Then in 2003 I went to work in South Sudan – when it was still part of Sudan – at the time of the civil war and Operation Lifeline Sudan. There was a base in Kenya, and we'd fly in and camp in rebel-held areas for three months at a time, providing basic healthcare to conflict-affected populations. I was a project coordinator and then head of mission for South Sudan. It was an amazing experience and really the lifeblood of my time with MSF, a formative experience.

I actually met my wife there. She was working for Pharmaciens Sans Frontières, working on kala-azar, or visceral leishmaniasis [an often-fatal parasitic disease], and other neglected diseases. That, and working on TB, led to my passion for access to medicines and the importance of that work we do.

Then I moved to Pakistan in 2006. The earthquake had just happened in Kashmir, and we had programs in what was then the Federally Administered Tribal Areas [FATA], on the border with Afghanistan, and also in Balochistan.

So a very different context, and different challenges?

Yes, for sure, like having to get helicopters flying at high altitude to very scattered populations in mountainous areas and still getting cholera outbreaks and all the things you see in post-disaster responses. But it was amazing to work in quite different contexts between the disaster response in Kashmir and conflict and maternal–child health in FATA. We were going into areas extremely challenging for our staff.

How does that relate to humanitarian crises today?

The challenges we’re seeing in Gaza, but also in Ukraine and Sudan, have once again highlighted to me the importance of humanitarian work and safeguarding humanitarian space – protecting the ability for people to have access to healthcare, security and fundamental human rights.

That’s the important part of MSF’s role – going in as a neutral, impartial actor to provide that. Especially at a time when space is shrinking dramatically. Historically, it was more because of warring parties, but now we’re seeing a change in the international community’s response. It’s important for us to be strong in the face of that and to speak out about it.

Are there particular issues you want to focus on?

Beyond our core work of emergency response. There are two things I’ve always had a passion and MSF Australia and MSF NZ are uniquely placed to make a difference. One is access to medicines. Australia has been quite a leader in that space, in terms of research and development and trying to provide new medicines and new technologies that are affordable and accessible. I'm keen that we continue and work further in that space.

The second is that we’re in the region, and there’s an important part of what we do in terms of the Pacific. I think we need to be stronger and really highlight the challenges faced by the Pacific. Pacific Island or island developing nations have particular challenges that are often hard to understand if you just look at them through the prism of African or Middle East complex emergencies. There are major crises going on there –the climate crisis, non-communicable diseases, emerging HIV epidemics and others – so bringing these stories and the plight of the Pacific to a wider audience is crucial.

Do you think MSF has a bigger role to play in Australia and New Zealand?

If I look over my past 20-odd years with MSF, I think recognition of MSF in Australia and New Zealand has grown tremendously. I think we are a household name now. That’s been enhanced, sadly, because of Gaza.

If we can harness some of that to highlight all the neglected crises that never get mentioned – the Sudans and others – that would be important. Australia is a country with large diaspora populations, and I think there’s something there around linking with those communities and building the presence and understanding of MSF.

Educating the public is a big responsibility for MSF. I believe we need to constantly try to get into the mainstream. There’s always a tendency to look at local stories before you look internationally, but I think it's our duty to talk about what's happening more broadly in the world. I'm super excited to see how we can do that in a way that appeals locally in different communities.

Thanks, Tom – we’re excited to have you on board and leading the way on the challenges ahead.