melinda french gatesex-wife microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates announced Monday that he will step down as co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation next month.
In a statement on X, French Gates said this is a “critical time” to protect and advance women’s rights around the world. The announcement comes almost exactly three years after the Gateses announced their divorce.
She said her resignation and the Gateses’ divorce agreement would result in “an additional $12.5 billion to work on behalf of women and families.” The couple divorced in May 2021.
bill gates’ another statement said, “We are sad to see Melinda leave, but we are confident she will have a great impact on our future philanthropy.”
The Gates Foundation’s work has focused on global anti-poverty and global health efforts, including anti-malaria efforts in Africa and major investments across the Indian subcontinent and South Asia.
French Gates has also dedicated significant time and money to gender equality efforts around the world. In 2015 she founded Pivotal Venturesan organization separate from the Gates Foundation, focused on removing barriers to access and opportunity for minorities and women in the United States.
Financial bankruptcy after divorce
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda in an interview in New York on February 22, 2016.
Shannon Stapleton Reuter
Gates and French Gates separated in 2021, more than two years later. CNBC first reported on the Microsoft co-founder’s relationship with disgraced investor and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
French Gates begins meeting with divorce lawyer In 2019, The Wall Street Journal previously reported after news of Gates’ relationship with Epstein first surfaced.
The Gates Foundation has become one of the world’s most powerful private philanthropic organizations in recent decades. Mr. Gates donated most of his fortune to the foundation, along with his family’s office, Cascade.
French Gates and Mackenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos, will completely separate their philanthropy from their ex-husband’s business.
Below is French Gates’ full statement.
After careful consideration and consideration, I have decided to step down from my position as Co-Chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. My last day of work at the Foundation will be June 7th.
This is not a decision I made lightly. I am extremely proud of the foundation that Bill and I have built together and the extraordinary work we are doing to address inequality around the world. I care deeply about the Foundation team, our partners around the world, and all the people who are touched by the Foundation’s work.
I am confident that the Foundation will remain strong, with a highly capable CEO, Mark Suzman, an executive leadership team, and an experienced Board of Trustees, to ensure that all of its important work continues. We are taking this step with confidence that we are in a good place. The time is right for me to move on to the next chapter of my philanthropy.
This is a critical time for women and girls in the United States and around the world, and those fighting to protect and advance equality need urgent support. Under the terms of my agreement with Bill, when I leave the Foundation, I will receive an additional $12.5 billion to work on behalf of women and families. We’ll have more information on what that will look like in the near future.
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