Founder of Pivotal. Co-founder of the Gates Foundation. Author of The Moment of Lift & The Next Day.
United States
7M followers
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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This is a staggering waste of taxpayer money and yet another disturbing example of the lengths some will go to keep women from having power over…
This is a staggering waste of taxpayer money and yet another disturbing example of the lengths some will go to keep women from having power over…
Shared by Melinda French Gates
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Today, I’m launching Staying Human, a Substack where I’ll explore how we build a life with more connection, more joy, and more fulfillment. Most of…
Today, I’m launching Staying Human, a Substack where I’ll explore how we build a life with more connection, more joy, and more fulfillment. Most of…
Liked by Melinda French Gates
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Too often, the people responsible for keeping us safe and healthy have treated women’s bodies as an afterthought. We see this in the fact that…
Too often, the people responsible for keeping us safe and healthy have treated women’s bodies as an afterthought. We see this in the fact that…
Shared by Melinda French Gates
Experience
Education
Publications
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Foreword for "Family, Affluence and Morality" by Peter Singer
Oxford University Press
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The Moment of Lift
Flatiron Books
See publicationThe 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.
More activity by Melinda
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Our new podcast finally launched. 🌟 After years of reporting on business, interviewing founders, CEOs, and decision-makers across industries, I've…
Our new podcast finally launched. 🌟 After years of reporting on business, interviewing founders, CEOs, and decision-makers across industries, I've…
Liked by Melinda French Gates
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Brené Brown and I are launching a podcast together this week! What are you most curious to hear us discuss and debate? We kicked off at SXSW and it’s…
Brené Brown and I are launching a podcast together this week! What are you most curious to hear us discuss and debate? We kicked off at SXSW and it’s…
Liked by Melinda French Gates
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Adam Grant and I launched our new podcast at SXSW this afternoon and it’s already more fun than we could imagine. We got right to disagreeing…
Adam Grant and I launched our new podcast at SXSW this afternoon and it’s already more fun than we could imagine. We got right to disagreeing…
Liked by Melinda French Gates
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Yesterday, March 7th, I lost my beloved mother, my first mentor, my teacher, and my friend. In her final days, in the ICU, she was cared for by an…
Yesterday, March 7th, I lost my beloved mother, my first mentor, my teacher, and my friend. In her final days, in the ICU, she was cared for by an…
Liked by Melinda French Gates
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Imagine a world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential—to go to school, to start businesses, to support their families, and to…
Imagine a world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential—to go to school, to start businesses, to support their families, and to…
Shared by Melinda French Gates
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Over the course of my career, I’ve learned to be okay with getting things wrong. Not because it feels good (it doesn’t), but because every…
Over the course of my career, I’ve learned to be okay with getting things wrong. Not because it feels good (it doesn’t), but because every…
Posted by Melinda French Gates
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This morning, I was named one of TIME’s 2026 Women of the Year. I don’t have the words to express how honored I feel for my name to appear alongside…
This morning, I was named one of TIME’s 2026 Women of the Year. I don’t have the words to express how honored I feel for my name to appear alongside…
Liked by Melinda French Gates
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In times of high anxiety and low morale, kindness is essential, not optional. Research shows that kindness at work can help retain top talent, boost…
In times of high anxiety and low morale, kindness is essential, not optional. Research shows that kindness at work can help retain top talent, boost…
Liked by Melinda French Gates
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🕊️ Peace lasts longer when women are at the table. So why were 8 out of 10 peace talks between 2020–2023 held without a single woman? We know the…
🕊️ Peace lasts longer when women are at the table. So why were 8 out of 10 peace talks between 2020–2023 held without a single woman? We know the…
Liked by Melinda French Gates
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I am the president of Iceland since August 1st 2024. Previously I served as the CEO and Chief Change Catalyst for The B Team, where global business and civil society leaders work together on confronting our crisis of conformity in leadership. I have long been on a quest to inspire and empower leaders to embrace purpose-driven, gender-balanced and principled leadership. I have passionately pursued this purpose as a business leader in Corporate America with M&M and Pepsi Cola, as the first female CEO of Iceland’s Chamber of commerce and as an executive and non-executive director for diverse businesses. An entrepreneur at heart, I joined the founding team of Reykjavik University where I founded the Executive Education department and led a successful initiative focused on empowering women and girls as entrepreneurs, leaders and investors. In 2007 I co-founded an investment firm with the vision to incorporate feminine values and ESG metrics into finance. The company made international headlines when it successfully survived Iceland’s infamous economic meltdown. In 2016, I ran for President as an independent candidate with no prior political experience and surprised everyone as I emerged from an initial 1% in the polls to becoming the runner-up with nearly 30% of the vote. <br><br>I have an international MBA from Thunderbird and have lived and worked in the US, the UK and across the Nordics. My work has led me to the TED stage several times and I have delivered keynotes and participated in dialogues about new visions for leadership for companies and conferences around the world. Newsweek named me to a list of 150 women who “shake the world” and the New Yorker called me a “Living Emoji of Sincerity”. Who needs a formal title when you can be an Emoji? <br><br>Twitter: @HallaTomas<br>Facebook: @hallatomas
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