Melinda French Gates is an influencer

Founder of Pivotal. Co-founder of the Gates Foundation. Author of The Moment of Lift & The Next Day.

United States
7M followers

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About

Philanthropist, businesswoman, author, and global advocate for women & girls. Founder of Pivotal. Co-founder of the Gates Foundation. Author of The Moment of Lift.

Articles by Melinda

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Experience

  • Pivotal Graphic

    Founder

    Pivotal

    - Present 11 years

    Pivotal, which I founded in 2015, works to accelerate the pace of social progress for women and young people in the U.S. and around the world. Pivotal includes Pivotal Philanthropies, Pivotal Initiatives Fund, and Pivotal Ventures.

  • Gates Foundation Graphic

    Co-Founder & Co-Chair

    Gates Foundation

    - 24 years

    As co-founder and co-chair, I set the direction and priorities of the foundation. Specifically, I concentrated on family planning, maternal and child health, and applying the principles of user-centered design to the field of global health and development.

  • Duke University Graphic

    Board of Trustees Member

    Duke University

    - 7 years

  • Microsoft Graphic

    General Manager of Information Products

    Microsoft

    - 9 years

    During my time at Microsoft, I managed teams that developed multimedia and interactive products including Expedia, Cinemania and Encarta.

Education

Publications

  • The Moment of Lift

    Flatiron Books

    The first book from Melinda French Gates, available in the U.S. on April 23, 2019.

    For the last twenty years, Melinda French Gates has been on a mission. Her goal, as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, invest in women.

    In this candid and inspiring book from Flatiron Books…

    The first book from Melinda French Gates, available in the U.S. on April 23, 2019.

    For the last twenty years, Melinda French Gates has been on a mission. Her goal, as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, invest in women.

    In this candid and inspiring book from Flatiron Books, Melinda traces her awakening to the link between women’s empowerment and the health of societies. She shows some of the tremendous opportunities that exist right now to “turbo-charge” change. And she provides simple and effective ways each one of us can make a difference.

    Convinced that all women should be free to decide whether and when to have children, Melinda took her first step onto the global stage to make a stand for family planning. That step launched her into further efforts: to ensure women everywhere have access to every kind of job; to encourage men around the globe to share equally in the burdens of household work; to advocate for paid family and medical leave for everyone; to eliminate gender bias in all its forms.

    Throughout, Melinda introduces us to her heroes in the movement towards equality, offers startling data, shares moving conversations she’s had with women from all over the world―and shows how we can all get involved.

    A personal statement of passionate conviction, this book tells of Melinda’s journey from a partner working behind the scenes to one of the world’s foremost advocates for women, driven by the belief that no one should be excluded, all lives have equal value, and gender equity is the lever that lifts everything.

    Melinda will be donating all the amounts she receives from this book to charity.

    See publication

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