Future of the Gates Foundation: "All of this also has a clarifying effect"

Mr Suzman, when Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce in May, it was only said that their role in the joint foundation would not change.

But now there is talk of a clause according to which Melinda would give up her position if she or Bill no longer consider further cooperation to be possible.

Why has the initial situation changed?

Roland Lindner

Business correspondent in New York.

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First of all, Bill and Melinda have repeatedly expressed their full intention to remain co-chairs and members of the Board of Trustees in the long term. But of course it is a fundamental step when the two co-chairs get divorced and that raises questions about what will happen in the future. That is why they agreed on this clause as part of their divorce settlement. And we felt it was important to be transparent about the existence of this clause now because we announced a reform of our leadership. With Warren Buffett stepping down from the Board of Trustees, we want to expand the board, and we think the new members should know about the clause. But again: I do not hope and expect that it will ever be used.

And you draw this optimism from your observations of how Bill and Melinda have worked together over the past few months?

Yes.

Bill and Melinda have been closely involved in the foundation's work in the two months since their divorce.

They have been to many meetings together and have made major decisions.

For example, a new initiative on gender equality that Melinda announced last week in Paris to French President Emmanuel Macron and other politicians, on which we want to spend $ 2.1 billion over the next five years.

Both have already shown that they can work together constructively even after the divorce.

How often do you see Bill and Melinda Gates?

I am in very regular contact with them.

I'd say in the two months since the divorce was announced, I've had dozens of meetings with them, one-on-one and with both of them.

And I communicate regularly via email and in other ways, for example last weekend about the announcement that we have made now.

Why would Melinda and not Bill get out when the collaboration no longer works?

This is part of their agreement, I don't have any additional details and can only pass on what I've been told.

How many new members do you want to recruit for your supervisory body?

We don't know that yet and we want to check now.

We want to look at the models of other foundations, although we have to take into account that we are on a different scale than most organizations.

And Bill and Melinda, who are currently forming the board of trustees, are much deeper into the matter than is usual on such a committee.

So we have to think about what we expect from new members.

What exactly could that mean?

We would look for people who have experience in areas in which we are active.

Those who enjoy a global reputation and can help us with their perspectives at a time when large foundations are increasingly - and rightly so - under critical scrutiny.

We always try to ensure that our role is complementary to, not replacing, governments.

I also expect that there will be a geographical mix in the body, as the majority of our work takes place abroad.

Is your role as CEO now going to change in any way?

I see it as my job to implement the guidelines that come from the Board of Trustees.

I lead the organization and have extensive authority over the approval of our funds.

I also have a representative function as the public face and voice of the foundation.

At the moment I assume that it will stay that way.

Speaking of your role as a public face, how have you been the last two months since the divorce announcement?

Of course this is a disruptive event.

If the co-chairs get divorced, it will require a change.

It was already a challenging year with our work on the corona pandemic.

I take it at face value that Bill and Melinda told me they want to continue their work at the foundation as before, and so it is now my job to reassure employees and external partners that this is the case.

And to provide guidance on how we can keep the foundation strong and stable.

In a certain way, however, all of this also has a clarifying effect.

In what way?

For me, it underscores the importance and critical role that the Gates Foundation plays and can play around the world. And it has sharpened my sense of responsibility that we are pursuing our mission to enable healthy and productive lives for people everywhere. We are a 21 year old institution, we have many ongoing projects and many partners. My job is to make sure we focus on that because that's what really matters.