Milestone year kicks off with name and logo change; new Chief Communications Officer joins Executive Leadership Team
SEATTLE, USA, January 16, 2024 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- At the start of the Gates Foundation’s 25th anniversary year, its governing board approved the largest budget in its history. The foundation will operate with a budget of US$8.74 billion in 2025 as it continues working toward a world where everyone, everywhere, deserves the chance to live a healthy, productive life. The budget is in line with the foundation’s commitment to reach overall annual distributions of US$9 billion next year.
“Amid the greatest headwinds to health and development progress we’ve seen in a generation, this funding reflects our commitment to doing our part to reach people who will benefit most from innovations and programs that improve health and expand access to opportunity,” said CEO Mark Suzman.
The foundation’s spending will drive initiatives aimed at addressing the world’s greatest inequities, including by:
- Funding the delivery of life-saving tools to drive down maternal and child deaths and reduce the burden of infectious diseases
- Researching and developing the next generation of global health innovations
- Building economic power and agency among women and girls
- Providing increased opportunity and economic mobility for students in the United States
- Increasing climate resilience among smallholder farms
- Advocating for greater donor country investments for a fairer and more equitable future for all
In recognition of the legacies and contributions of Bill Gates, Bill Gates Sr., and Melinda French Gates, the foundation is rolling out a new name — the Gates Foundation. We also are introducing a new logo that reflects our unwavering commitment to support partners, communities and programs that are working to drive progress and improve lives around the world.
Later this month, Alex Reid will join the foundation’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) as chief communications officer (CCO). Reid brings extensive experience in strategic leadership communications, global advocacy, and social media campaigns, including previously leading the foundation’s Goalkeepers campaign. She returns to the foundation from Gates Ventures, where she led communications supporting key initiatives in energy, climate, health, and education. Reid takes on the role after CCO Susan Byrnes stepped down earlier this month after more than 17 years of service to the foundation.
“At this pivotal moment in the foundation’s history, I am confident Alex’s experience, creativity, and energy will build upon the momentum of the [communications] division while charting a bold course into the next phase of our organization. In so doing, she will inspire pride in the foundation’s work across our teams and the thousands of partners who work tirelessly to create a more equitable world,” wrote Suzman in a post welcoming Reid back to the foundation.
In February, June Yoshinari Davis, who currently serves as the foundation’s chief diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officer overseeing the DEI strategy and DEI Center of Excellence, will become Chief People Officer (CPO). This new ELT role brings together the Human Resources and DEI areas of focus for the foundation. The role reflects the foundation’s ongoing commitment to ensuring DEI is core to how the foundation works together and with partners to achieve impact and achieve its mission. Yoshinari Davis takes on this new role following the departure of Sonia Vora, who served as Chief Human Resources Officer since 2022.
Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of The Gates Foundation.
About the Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, we work with partners to create impactful solutions so that people can take charge of their futures and achieve their full potential. In the United States, we aim to ensure that everyone—especially those with the fewest resources—has access to the opportunities needed to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and our governing board.
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