The Gates
Melinda Gates announced Monday she was leaving the philanthropy mega foundation she established with her ex-husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
Her resignation as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which becomes effective on June 7, 2024, will leave Bill Gates as the sole chair of one of the world’s most influential and powerful non-governmental organisations.
“After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” Melinda wrote in a statement seen on her X page.
The statement gave no reason for her departure, but noted that “under the terms of my agreement with Bill, in leaving the foundation, I will have an additional $12.5 billion to commit to my work on behalf of women and families.”
The couple had continued to co-chair the foundation which they established in 2001 with the vast wealth acquired through the success of Microsoft.
With a focus on child poverty and preventable diseases, the foundation has been heavily involved in fighting malaria and in providing toilets and sanitation in poorer parts of the world.
Bill Gates thanked his ex-wife for her “critical contributions” to the organisation. Punch
