It’s hard to avoid the pictures and news stories about humanitarian crises around the world today. Hunger and disease are hitting a breaking point in Gaza, while the U.S. government is stepping back from what was once a major role in helping establish sanitary conditions and bring health care and food to other nations worldwide. Millions of people are displaced, as wars continue to rage in Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East.

So why is Avril Benoît, CEO of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) USA, stepping down now? In May she announced she was leaving the post, and the organization will announce her successor in the coming months. Benoît, a 2023 Forbes 50 Over 50: Impact honoree, told me the timing is built in at MSF, which limits its CEOs to six-year terms.

“You’re totally throwing yourself into a job that becomes a lifestyle,” she said. “It’s all-consuming in many respects. You’re having to consume and experience vicariously, often from a distance, all the harrowing circumstances of a humanitarian crisis. And all of that weighs on you so heavily while you’re trying to drive forward and lead. I think the thinking is that by having people potentially return to operations, or give the operational people an opportunity to lead from headquarters, is just a healthy dynamic, especially for an action-oriented organization like us. We really are very passionate. We’re impatient, we’re hard driving, we’re on the ground. And there’s only so long, I would argue, that you can really sustain that.”

Benoît’s term as CEO of MSF USA concludes almost two decades with the humanitarian nonprofit organization, and she said she’s not necessarily leaving it completely behind. The former broadcast journalist has seen a lot in terms of events and management experience.

Today’s Forbes CEO newsletter is all about Benoît’s leadership at MSF USA, looking at its similarities to other U.S. businesses, as well as key differences; how she’s handled major challenges; and what she and the organization are doing to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

Doctors Without Borders USA CEO Avril Benoît.

Benoît said she’s been helping people for her entire professional life, but the first 20 years were from a different perspective. Her first career was as a radio, TV and print journalist, working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for two decades. Benoît said she entered journalism with a real desire to contribute to the public good.

On the air, she presented stories that showcased inequality and need around the world. Off hours, she volunteered for a variety of causes and helped them raise money. While still a journalist, she chaired the board of a group of women dedicated to raising money for girls and women........

© Forbes