Devex Pro Insider: Trump returns, and Gates Foundation rebrands

Here we go. The inauguration of Donald Trump takes place tomorrow, potentially unleashing an earthquake into foreign aid funding, multilateral institutions, and global development. But first, we’ve been speaking to outgoing USAID Administrator Samantha Power. She told us the role has been a balancing act — between patience and impatience, risk and caution, and the differing arguments for foreign aid. While she spoke about USAID’s soft power, she warned against viewing global development efforts entirely through a transactional lens, which would see short-term considerations take priority. And although some members of the Republican Party have accused USAID of becoming “woke” and ideological under Power, she disagreed — and warned that if the incoming administration isn’t willing to work on climate change, it will find it difficult to engage with many countries where it has become part of the “daily challenge of public service.” We’ll be bringing you all the latest once Trump takes power — including what to expect in the coming days and weeks, a who’s who guide to key members of his team, and what his impact will be on key institutions such as WHO. To get a head start, Devex Pro members are invited to join us for a briefing on Wednesday, on how Trump could reshape U.S. aid in his first 100 days. We’ll see you there. Also in today’s edition: A big year for the Gates Foundation, development organizations grapple with the changes at Meta, and Dr. John Nkengasong heads back to the U.S. CDC. Bits and pieces New year, new name. It’s a big year for the Gates Foundation. This year marks its 25th anniversary, and it has kicked it off with a rebrand. Its founders’ first names, Bill & Melinda, have been dropped from the foundation’s name following the couple’s divorce and Melinda’s subsequent resignation as co-chair. From now on, it’s just the Gates Foundation — which is what most people call it anyway — and it’s got a new black-and-yellow logo to go with it. On LinkedIn, some commentators suggested that the organization had also taken the opportunity to start referring to itself as a nonprofit rather than a foundation, but in fact, it’s used the term nonprofit for some time (and technically speaking, it’s both). It’s also ramping up its budget in line with an existing commitment to reach $9 billion in annual payouts by 2026 — so the budget for this year is $8.74 billion. CEO Mark Suzman didn’t mention Trump or global politics explicitly in the announcement, but he did refer to “the greatest headwinds to health and development progress we’ve seen in a generation.” The money will be spent on areas including maternal health, infectious diseases and climate resilience among smallholder farmers. The announcement also specifically mentions women’s empowerment — there have been questions around how much the foundation will continue to focus on gender following Melinda’s departure — and advocating for greater investment in development from donors. There are also some small changes on the executive leadership team. June Yoshinari Davis, currently chief DEI officer, will become chief people officer, combining her current role with broader HR functions. And as previously reported in this newsletter, Alex Reid is returning as chief communications officer. Meta narratives. There's a lot happening in the world of social media at the moment, and global development organizations are having to rethink their presence on some of the most popular platforms. With far-right misinformation growing on X, and owner Elon Musk joining the controversial Trump administration, some organizations have already pulled the plug. The U.K.’s Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, or ACEVO, was among those to quit the platform in the second half of last year, saying that “this platform is no longer aligned with our values of inclusivity and honesty.” Furthermore, Health Poverty Action is no longer posting exclusive content there and is encouraging other justice-focused organizations to do the same to “#StopBeingComplicit in Musk's misuse of power and its harmful effects.” The World Bank also halted paid advertising on the platform after a media investigation found one of its adverts was promoted under a racist post. But it’s a dilemma because many organizations have spent years building up large followings there. More recently, questions have arisen around Facebook and Instagram after Meta, which owns both platforms, said it would ditch its fact-checking program in the U.S. and also reduce its content moderation. Dante Licona, a social media expert who previously worked for WHO and IFRC, said that those working in the development sector have been grappling with questions around X for months, resulting in various approaches — while some have left X altogether, others have simply reduced their presence there or stopped paid promotion. However, the announcement from Meta this month “is a game changer,” he told me. “Internal meetings, briefs for senior leaders, WhatsApp groups of digital teams, everyone is assessing [what to do]. I suspect it will take some weeks [or] months to result in decision making.” In the meantime, diversifying your social media presence — across everything from LinkedIn to Bluesky and YouTube Shorts — will be key to mitigating the current flux in the area. EU turn. My colleague Vince Chadwick got an important scoop about possible changes within EU aid last week. An internal document shows that the EU is considering consolidating management of its foreign aid in 18 regional hubs — including in Nairobi, Buenos Aires, and Bangkok — instead of having development experts embedded with delegations in individual countries. The changes appear to be driven by budget cuts — centralizing some of the work would mean fewer jobs overall — but the document also argues that it would help to deliver on the bloc’s “Global Gateway” investment plan. It suggests that while a smaller number of expat and local development staff would remain within most country delegations, in some countries development staff could be cut entirely. Critics who spoke to Vince warned that local agents are essential to programming and that their loss would be a hit to the quality of the EU’s development work. ✉️ Do you have insights into any of this week’s bits and pieces? Let me know by replying to this email. Moving on PEPFAR chief Dr. John Nkengasong, who is stepping down alongside other political appointees as the new administration takes over, is returning to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he previously worked for more than two decades. Steven Hernandez is the new chief information security officer at USAID. A big get from Plan International here, which has appointed Reena Ghelani — a U.N. assistant secretary-general and climate crisis coordinator — as its new CEO. She’ll be starting in April. Gemma Sherrington, interim CEO of Save the Children UK, is leaving the charity after more than 15 years to become CEO of the domestic abuse charity Refuge. Sherrington has held the interim CEO role at Save the Children UK for nearly a year but is now handing over the reins to Moazzam Malik, a former British diplomat who most recently served as a managing director of the World Resources Institute. Emily White is the new chief finance and operations officer at the Centre for Disaster Protection. Nicole Bibbins Sedaca has left Freedom House after nearly four years as executive vice president and interim president. Adriana Velasco is starting as manager, global policy and advocacy at Malaria No More. Did we miss one? Is there a change on the horizon? Let us know at devexpro@devex.com. Jobs of the week Your Devex Pro membership includes access to the world’s largest global development job board. Here are some of the latest high-level opportunities: • Associate Manager, Strategic Programs, Sustainable Agriculture Network (remote). • Chief Development Officer, Landesa (USA). • Manager, Prevention and Health Promotion, World Bank Group (USA). • Country Director, Nepal, ChildFund Japan (Nepal). Up next Davos. This week in events it’s all about the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss Alps. We’ll have a team on the ground covering all the big issues — from the impact of Trump on the global economy and climate efforts to the rise of AI, conflicts, and inequality. If you’re heading there for the first time, we have a guide to making the most of it — and keeping the costs down — for our Pro readers. Jan. 20-24.