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Melinda Gates to step down as cochair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
YB WEB DESK. Dated: 5/15/2024 7:23:18 AM
New Delhi, May 14 Melinda French Gates said on Monday she is stepping down as cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Her last day of work at the foundation will be June 7, according to her post on X. Billionaire benefactors Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders of one of the world's largest private charitable foundations, filed for divorce in 2021 after 27 years of marriage but pledged to continue their philanthropic work together. The foundation is one of the most powerful and influential forces in global public health, having spent more than $50 billion over the past two decades to bring a business approach to combating poverty and disease. As per the statement issued, “Melinda French Gates has decided to resign from her role as cochair of the foundation. Her last day of work at the foundation will be June 7. Melinda cares deeply about the foundation and is extremely proud of all of you and the work you do every day to help millions of people live better lives. She made this decision, after considerable reflection, based on how she wants to spend the next chapter of her philanthropy. Melinda has new ideas about the role she wants to play in improving the lives of women and families in the U.S. and around the world. And, after a difficult few years watching women’s rights rolled back in the U.S. and around the world, she wants to use this next chapter to focus specifically on altering that trajectory”. “I recognize this is very sad news, and we all need time to process it. Many of you have worked closely with Melinda or were drawn to the foundation because of her global leadership, particularly in gender equality, and her ability to connect our work to the people who need support the most. In starting the foundation and setting our values, she has played an essential role in all that we’ve accomplished over the past 24 years. I know how beloved Melinda is here. This is difficult news for me, too. Like you, I truly admire Melinda.