Anil Soni: Anil Soni, Indian Health Expert Named First Executive Director of the WHO Foundation |

NEW YORK: Indian-origin global health expert Anil Soni has been appointed as the first executive director of the newly launched The WHO Foundation, which works alongside the World Health Organization to address the most pressing health challenges in all the world.
Soni will assume his role as inaugural executive director of the WHO Foundation on January 1 of next year. In her new role, Soni will accelerate the “work of the Foundation to invest in innovative, evidence-based initiatives that support WHO in fulfilling its mission to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all,” the Foundation said in a press release on Monday.

The WHO Foundation, an independent Geneva-based grantmaking agency, was launched in May 2020 to work together with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the global health community to address the most global health challenges. urgent of the world.
Soni joins the Foundation from Viatris, a global healthcare company, where he served as Head of Global Infectious Diseases.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described Soni as a “proven innovator” in global health who has spent two decades serving communities affected by HIV / AIDS and other infectious diseases.
“He earned my trust when he and his team at the Clinton Health Access Initiative worked closely with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health to expand access to treatment and strengthen the management of our health centers,” Ghebreyesus said, adding that Soni has a “unique” skill set spanning both the public and private sectors, and her leadership of the Foundation will provide invaluable support to the mission of WHO and the billions of people who depend on it.
In his appointment, Soni said that the world is at a “critical juncture” for global public health.
“After months of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, there is hope for several successful vaccine candidates. Beyond this crucial step, the road to recovery requires increased investment in the many health priorities that have been compromised in recent months, from drops in HIV treatment and vaccine coverage to delays in cancer treatment. ”He said, adding that the WHO Foundation represents a unique new opportunity for everyone in the world to play their part in addressing these challenges and promoting global health, through a strong and vibrant WHO.
The founder and chairman of the WHO Foundation Board, Professor Thomas Zeltner, said Soni is a “dynamic leader” with deep experience in all aspects of global public health.
“From his work at Viatris, where he has led the development and introduction of drugs to treat HIV / AIDS and tuberculosis, to his leadership in the Clinton Health Access Initiative and his time at the Global Fund (to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria), has demonstrated its ability to work in the public, private and non-profit sectors and to build successful new organizations from the ground up, ”said Zeltner.
The WHO Foundation said Soni is an “experienced global health expert,” bringing more than two decades of experience working in the public, private and non-profit sectors to expand access to healthcare in income countries. low and medium.
“In addition to advisory roles at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the MDG Health Alliance, Soni joins the WHO Foundation with a strong track record in mobilizing resources and promoting global health priorities. , as evidenced by his leadership in Friends of the Global Lucha in the United States, ”said the Foundation.
Soni was closely involved in the early years of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, serving as Advisor to the Executive Director from 2002 to 2004 and then as Founding Executive Director of Friends of Global Struggle from 2004 to 2005 .
He served as Executive Director of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, where he served from 2005 to 2010, and oversaw the rapid expansion of the organization.
He has been a senior advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the MDG Health Alliance. He is an alumnus of McKinsey and Harvard College and is a member of the board of The Marshall Project.
As a separate legal entity, the WHO Foundation seeks to complement and strengthen WHO’s efforts to address global health. It acts as a platform for new types of public-private engagement, while protecting the neutrality and independence of WHO as the world’s leading international health authority.
The Foundation said the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO, which the WHO and the United Nations Foundation launched in early 2020, together with the Swiss Foundation for Philanthropy, helped test the potential for further support. expanded WHO by raising $ 238 million in corporate and individual commitments. for their COVID-19 response efforts and their partners.