Who Is Melinda French Gates? All About The Philanthropist As She Resigns As Gates Foundation Co-Chair

Melinda French Gates on Monday announced her resignation from her role as co-chair of the $75 billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation she helped run with her former husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

In a post on X, Melinda French Gates wrote, "After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. My last day of work at the foundation will be June 7.

This is a critical moment for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world-and those fighting to protect and advance equality are in urgent need of support. 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. I'll be sharing more about what that will look like in the near future."

Ex-husband Bill Gates thanked Melinda for her critical contributions to the Foundation and said as a co-founder and co-chair she was instrumental in shaping their strategies and initiatives, significantly impacting global health and gender equality.

"I am sorry to see Melinda leave, but I am sure she will have a huge impact in her future philanthropic work," Gates said in a post on X. 

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will be known as the Gates Foundation once Melinda departs. It is one of the biggest private foundations with an $8.6 billion budget for 2024. Bill Gates will become its sole chair.

Meanwhile, Melinda has her own charity called Pivotal Ventures, which she started in 2015. The Foundation uses grants as well as venture capital to focus on empowering women, including getting more women into technology jobs and elected to public office, and advocating paid family leave.

Melinda French Gates is a prominent figure in philanthropy and women's empowerment. She co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable organisation, focusing on global health and development. She's a champion for women's and girls' rights, promoting their empowerment through her work at Pivotal Ventures, her investment and incubation company. Melinda has been consistently ranked as one of the world's most powerful women by Forbes magazine.

Melinda is also the author of the bestselling book The Moment of Lift, in which she introduces readers to the inspiring women she has met during her work and travels around the world and shares her own journey to becoming an advocate for women and girls.