Leadership
The foundation’s leaders come from a broad range of backgrounds and have a diversity of expertise and experience that spans science and technology, medicine, public policy, education, communications, law, and business. Our leaders are guided by the foundation’s mission to create a world in which every person has the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life.
We are governed by a board, which in 2022 was expanded to include the CEO and five independent experts. The members of the board contribute diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and expertise to help guide and strengthen the foundation's governance, strategic direction, operations, financial planning, and overall performance. Click here to meet our board.
Meet our leaders
- President, Gender Equality DivisionAnita Zaidi leads the foundation’s Gender Equality division whose mission is a gender equal world.
- Director, Women’s Economic EmpowermentGreta Bull oversees a portfolio of investments in gender data and evidence, women’s economic collectives, and livelihoods development for poor women.
- Director, Women’s Health InnovationsDr. Ru Cheng leads a team that supports the development and adoption of high-quality health products that address the needs of women and girls in low- and middle-income countries.
- Director, Maternal, Newborn, Child Nutrition & HealthDr. Rasa Izadnegahdar leads the Maternal, Newborn, Child Nutrition and Health portfolio within the Gender Equality Division.
- Director, Gender Norms Portfolios and Office of the PresidentJackie Jones leads the office that oversees the foundation’s gender integration efforts, women in leadership investments, and the Gender Equality Division’s business functions.
- Director and Chief of Staff, Gender Equality, Office of the PresidentCambrie Nelson leads the office that oversees the Gender Equality Division’s business operations, cross-division strategy, and leadership engagement.
- Director, Family PlanningAparajita Ramakrishnan leads the foundation’s Family Planning team, which works to ensure that women and girls around the world can access the contraceptives and family planning services they want.
- Director, Strategy and Interim Director, Digital ConnectivityJanet Zhou advises teams across the foundation on the development and execution of their strategies.
- Senior Advisor, Data and InsightsJacob Adetunji provides technical guidance and recommends engagement strategies on family planning data.
- Senior Advisor, Women’s Health InnovationsDr. Mark Barone supports the foundation’s work to discover, develop, and introduce new contraceptive methods as well as expand the availability of existing contraceptives in low- and middle-income countries.
- Deputy Director, Program Advocacy and CommunicationsDr. Sanjana Bhardwaj leads policy and advocacy work related to family planning; maternal, newborn, and child health; nutrition; and primary health care systems.
- Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning, and ManagementLekha Davé oversees strategy and business operations for the Women's Economic Empowerment team.
- Deputy Director, Women’s Economic EmpowermentDiva Dhar leads a team that works to strengthen data architecture and deepen research in support of women’s economic empowerment programs and policymaking.
- Deputy Director, Strategy and Implementation ManagementJen Driscoll oversees strategy development and implementation for the Maternal, Newborn, Child Nutrition & Health team.
- Deputy Director, Office of the President, Gender Equality DivisionAllison Hein leads strategic initiatives to promote the Gender Equality Division’s overall effectiveness, impact, and culture.
- Deputy Director, Gender EqualityTheresa Hwang leads a team that advances the foundation’s gender integration efforts, which elevate the strategic importance of gender equality across the foundation’s global programs.
- Deputy Director, Epidemiology & Surveillance Research & DevelopmentLaura Lamberti leads efforts in epidemiology, data analysis, and impact modeling to inform product development and cross-cutting strategies for the foundation’s Maternal, Newborn Child Nutrition and Health team.
- Deputy Director, Women’s Health InnovationsSylvia Lin leads the foundation’s product introduction and market access efforts for innovations that can improve the health and agency of women and girls.
More about the foundation
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