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Indian-origin international health expert Anil Soni has been appointed because the first Chief Executive Officer of the newly launched The WHO Foundation, which works alongside the World Health Organization to handle most urgent health challenges internationally.
Soni will assume his position as The WHO Foundation’s inaugural Chief Executive Officer on January 1 subsequent yr. In his new position, Soni will speed up the Foundation’s “work to invest in innovative, evidence-based initiatives that support WHO in delivering on its mission to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all,” the Foundation mentioned in a press assertion on Monday.
The WHO Foundation, an unbiased grant-making company headquartered in Geneva, was launched in May 2020 to work alongside the World Health Organization (WHO) and the worldwide health neighborhood to handle the world’s most urgent international health challenges.
Soni joins the Foundation from Viatris, a worldwide healthcare firm, the place he served as Head of Global Infectious Diseases.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described Soni as a “proven innovator” in international health who has spent twenty years in service of communities affected by HIV/AIDS and different infectious ailments.
The WHO Foundation @thewhof has appointed @_AnilSoni as its inaugural CEO.
The Foundation, an unbiased grant-making company, was launched in May 2020 to work alongside WHO & the worldwide health neighborhood to handle the world’s most urgent international health challenges. pic.twitter.com/BrQtxg34Gc— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 7, 2020
“He earned my trust when he and his team at the Clinton Health Access Initiative worked side-by-side with the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia to expand access to treatment and strengthen the management of our health centers,” Ghebreyesus mentioned including that Soni has a “unique” set of abilities that spans the private and non-private sectors, and his management of the Foundation will present invaluable assist to the mission of the WHO and the billions of individuals who rely on it.
On his appointment, Soni mentioned the world is at a “critical juncture” for international public health.
“After months of combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, there is hope for several successful vaccine candidates. Beyond this crucial step, the path to recovery necessitates expanded investment in the many health priorities that have been compromised in recent months – from drops in vaccine coverage and HIV treatment to delays in cancer treatment,” he mentioned, including that The WHO Foundation represents a singular new alternative for everybody on the planet to play their half in tackling these challenges and in selling international health, by a robust and vibrant WHO.
Founder and Chairman of the Board of the WHO Foundation Professor Thomas Zeltner mentioned Soni is a “dynamic leader” with deep expertise throughout all points of international public health.
“From his work at Viatris where he has led the development and introduction of medicines to treat HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, to his leadership of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and his time at the Global Fund (to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria), he has demonstrated his ability to work across public, private, and nonprofit sectors and build successful new organisations from the ground up,” Zeltner mentioned.
The WHO Foundation mentioned Soni is a “seasoned global health expert”, bringing over twenty years of expertise working throughout public, non-public, and nonprofit sectors to broaden healthcare entry in low and middle-income international locations.
“In addition to advisory roles with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the MDG Health Alliance, Soni joins the WHO Foundation with a strong track record of mobilising resources and advocating for global health priorities, as demonstrated through his leadership of the Friends of the Global Fight in the United States,” the Foundation mentioned.
Soni was carefully concerned within the early years of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, serving because the Advisor to the Executive Director from 2002-2004 after which because the Founding Executive Director of Friends of the Global Fight from 2004-2005.
He served because the CEO of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, the place he labored from 2005-2010, and oversaw the fast growth of the organisation.
He has been a senior advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the MDG Health Alliance. He is an alumnus of McKinsey and Harvard College and serves on the board of The Marshall Project.
As a separate authorized entity, the WHO Foundation seeks to enhance and strengthen the WHO’s efforts to handle international health. It acts as a platform for brand new sorts of public-private engagement, whereas defending the WHO’s neutrality and independence because the world’s main worldwide health authority.
The Foundation mentioned the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO, which WHO and the UN Foundation launched earlier in 2020, along with the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, helped take a look at the potential for broader assist to WHO by elevating USD 238 million in company and particular person pledges for its and companions’ COVID-19 response efforts.
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