WASHINGTON — The Board of Directors of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria plans to select the organization’s next executive director at its meeting in November 2017, according to an update published this week.
The search process represents a second attempt at identifying qualified, well-vetted candidates to lead the Global Fund, after the board canceled its previous effort to select a new leader for the multibillion dollar health organization, citing problems with the recruitment process.
The fund received 92 applications for the position before its July 21 deadline, and board members “and others with networks in the global health sector” will continue additional outreach to potential candidates until the first week of September, according to Monday’s post. At that time, the Executive Director Nomination Committee will meet to finalize a long list of candidates for interviews.
The committee will conduct due diligence, background checks and two rounds of interviews before presenting the board with a list of final candidates at their retreat during the third week of October. After that, the finalists’ names will be published.
The gospel according to Mark Dybul, the man working to end three plagues
For two decades Mark Dybul has been at the center of a transformation in how the world fights infectious disease. As he steps away from the Global Fund, Dybul still believes people can triumph over the three plagues of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Marijke Wijnroks has served as the Global Fund’s interim executive director since Mark Dybul stepped down from the post at the conclusion of his four-year term on May 31.
The previous selection process saw three names submitted as finalists for the role: Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, a former health minister of Nigeria; Subhanu Saxena, the former chief executive of Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla; and Helen Clark, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and former New Zealand prime minister.
The board cited “issues encountered in the recruitment process” in a statement announcing its decision to restart the selection process in February. Some accounts of what went wrong cited a process that was too rushed, “insufficient due diligence,” and information leaks that raised doubts about some of the finalists.
The Global Fund raises money from public and private donors to finance health programs aimed at ending three epidemics. The fund invests roughly $4 billion a year in partner countries.
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About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
