The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced four new board of trustees members Wednesday in a move that will expand the company’s leadership for the first time.
The Seattle-based foundation’s CEO Mark Suzman announced in an annual letter he would be joining the board, along with Zimbabwe billionaire and philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa; Minouche Shafik, director of the London School of Economics and Political Science; and Thomas Tierney, co-founder and co-chairman of The Bridgespan Group.
“We are honored that these three deeply knowledgeable and respected individuals have agreed to join the foundation board,” Suzman said. “Between them, they bring an incredible track record of impact across global business, philanthropy, and development, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with them.”
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The board could expand to a total of nine members to increase the foundation’s representation in different expertise, gender, and geography, Suzman added.
The prominent charity has undergone several major changes since the divorce of Bill and Melinda French Gates, the death of Gates’s father, and the resignation of board member Warren Buffett, leaving Gates and French Gates as the final two board members.
French Gates, whose future in the company remains unclear, said she is excited to work with the new board members.
“Our new board members are strong, qualified leaders who will support the foundation and its partners in our work to promote a healthier, safer, more equal world for all,” she said in a press release. “I am deeply proud of all that we have accomplished over the past two decades and energized to work with them to drive progress on some of the most important issues the world faces today.”
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Suzman said that although the board will be helping guide and lead the foundation, decisions will still need to be approved by both Gates and French Gates. The other members will also not have any control over the $50 billion endowment, according to the New York Times.
The former couple announced their intent to divorce on May 3, 2021, amid unflattering headlines about the Microsoft executive’s reportedly close relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The multibillion-dollar split was finalized in August.
