RBM Partnership to End Malaria Board
The Partnership Board is the governing body of the Partnership and leads the Partnership in the drive towards achieving the vision through its strategies and associated operational plans.
In June 2016, the RBM Partnership named a new board to lead the global organisation into a new era and drive momentum to end malaria for good. Read message from the newly elected Chair of the RBM Partnership Board. This new Partnership Board includes individuals with deep expertise and experience at a senior decision-making level as well as representation from across the Partnership, including malaria-affected countries, private sector, civil society, donor funding organisations, and entities outside the malaria and health sectors, civil society and donors.
Professor Maha Taysir Barakat
Former Director General of the Health Authority Abu Dhabi
Professor Maha Taysir Barakat has held the post of Director General of the Health Authority Abu Dhabi from 2013 until 2018. Previously, she was Co-Founder, Medical & Research Director and Consultant Endocrinologist at the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC) in Abu Dhabi, and Reader at Imperial College London. In 2013, she became a visiting Professor at Imperial College London.
She has served as a member of the Social Development Committee of the Executive Council of the Government of Abu Dhabi, and Board member of several Government of Abu Dhabi-related entities including the Board of Trustees of Khalifa University, the Family Development Foundation, the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, and the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi.
As part of her role within the Health Authority, in addition to the fight against lifestyle-related disease, Professor Barakat has supported several public health eradication campaigns against communicable disease both within the UAE and internationally, including Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
For her work to the community in the UAE, Professor Barakat was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010, was awarded the Abu Dhabi Prize in 2011, and given the Imperial College Medal in 2013.
Mr Simon Bland
CEO, Global Institute for Disease Elimination GLIDE - Abu Dhabi
Mr Simon Bland has almost forty years of experience in global development, most of this living in Asia, the Pacific and in Africa. His early career was focused on marine sciences and natural resources management, later moving into development economics and management. Over the last fifteen years he has maintained a strong focus on global health. Since October 2019, he has been leading the establishment of a brand-new institute in Abu Dhabi focused on disease elimination where he leads a growing team of advocates, technical specialists and program partnership managers focusing initially on malaria, polio and two NTDs.
Prior to taking on this new role, Mr Bland led the UNAIDS New York Office and was instrumental in helping formulate the SDG and specifically Goal 3 and its targets.
Before joining UNAIDS Mr Bland was a senior civil servant in the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and, most recently, headed their Global Funds Department. He was responsible for the United Kingdom’s policies, programmes, financial management and shareholder relations with Global Funds and Innovative Finance in health and education. He represented the United Kingdom on the Boards of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), the GAVI Alliance, UNITAID and the Global Partnership for Education.
From September 2011 to June 2013, Mr Bland was Chair of the Board of the Global Fund and oversaw a substantial transformation culminating with the introduction of its new funding model and strengthened partnership approach. Mr Bland is a member of the National Academies Forum on Public Private Partnerships and sits on a number of Boards in the UK and the USA. In 2013 he was made a Commander of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday List for services to global health.
Dr Pedro L Alonso
Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr Pedro L Alonso is the Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Malaria Programme is responsible for the coordination of WHO’s global efforts to control and eliminate malaria and sets evidence-based norms, standards, policies and guidelines to support malaria-affected countries around the world.
A national of Spain, Dr Alonso has spent over 30 years in public health. His scientific research work has focused on key determinants of morbidity and mortality in the most vulnerable population groups. He has published over 300 articles in international peer-reviewed journals – primarily on malaria treatment, vaccine trials and preventive therapies – and has served on several national and international committees. He is particularly committed to capacity building of both institutions and individuals, primarily in Africa.
Prior to taking up the WHO position, Dr Alonso was Director of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and Professor of Global Health at the University of Barcelona, and President of the Governing Board of the Manhiça Foundation and the Manhiça Health Research Centre in Mozambique.
Mr Elhadj As Sy
Chair, Kofi Annan Foundation Board
Elhadj As Sy is the Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation Board, and Co-chair of the WHO/World Bank Global Pandemic Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB). In addition to these functions, Mr. Sy is also a Commissioner for the Global Commission on Climate Adaptation, Governor at the Wellcome Trust, and a member of the Governing Board of Interpeace as well as numerous other boards and organizations.
Mr. Sy has extensive experience in leadership roles in the humanitarian, health, environment, development sectors, and has previously served as the Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) IFRC ‐ the world’s largest humanitarian network. Prior to this appointment, he served at a senior level with UNICEF, UNAIDS, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and other agencies for more than 25 years.
Mr. Sy was UNICEF’s Director of Partnerships and Resource Development in New York. He has also served as UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa and Global
Emergency Coordinator for the Horn of Africa. From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Sy was Director, HIV/AIDS Practice with the United Nations Development Programme in New York. Before that, he worked with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as its Africa Regional Director and later as Director of Operational Partnerships and Country Support in Geneva. Mr. Sy has also held the position of UNAIDS Representative in New York and Director of the New York Liaison Office. From 1988 to 1997, he served as Director of Health and Development Programmes with Environment and Development Action in the Third World in Dakar, Senegal.
Mr. Sy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts and Human Sciences from the University of Dakar. He then pursued Master’s studies in Arts and Germanistik at the University of Graz, and graduated from the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. He was also awarded a post graduate diploma in Education from the École normale supérieure in Dakar. He speaks English, French and German and is a national of Senegal
Mr Kieran Daly
Deputy-Director: Malaria, HIV, TB and the Global Fund, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Mr Daly brings a range of necessary and appropriate experience around advocacy, resource mobilization and connections to the Global Fund and major donors over the last 20 years, along with organizational leadership and authority.
As Deputy Director within Global Policy and Advocacy at the Foundation, he is responsible for HIV, TB, Malaria advocacy and Global Fund investments. This includes acting as relationship owner for the foundation’s engagement with the Global Fund as well as Board member representing Private Foundations.
Extensive experience in multilateral, international and national policy and advocacy, including as CEO of ICASO a global AIDS advocacy organization and network. Involved with the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria since its inception, including as the Alternate Board member for the Developed Country NGO delegation and as a member of various committees including the Finance and Audit Committee, and currently on the Strategy Committee. Extensive experience with the UN, with particular focus on HIV policy and programming, through involvement and leadership roles in most of the major global HIV initiatives, working groups and committees within UNAIDS and the UN General Assembly. Led major initiatives supporting advocacy in developing countries on HIV, TB and malaria.
Dr Richard Nchabi Kamwi
Elimination 8 Ambassador
Dr Kamwi convened the inaugural Elimination 8 Ministerial Initiative, which was established in 2009 as a platform for regional collaboration towards elimination in the SADC region. He is an expert in the field of malaria elimination, holding a PhD in Malariology, and began his career in malaria as the head of the malaria response in Namibia, prior to his appointment as Deputy Minister of Health, and then Minister of Health. While Minister of Health, he led an effort to secure both domestic and external resources for the health sector, greatly expanding Namibia’s response to HIV, TB, and malaria.
Dr. Kamwi has demonstrated commitment and leadership for malaria elimination in southern Africa, and was requested to continue to support the region as E8 Ambassador after his term in office. As E8 Ambassador, Dr. Kamwi supports diplomatic and strategic engagement by the Ministers of Health of SADC. Dr. Kamwi is a sought after advisor and speaker on various issues, and malaria in particular; he serves as a member of the UNITAID Expert Advisory Panel, as well as the WHO Regional Director’s independent advisory group.
Diane Gashumba
Former Minister of Health of the Republic of Rwanda
Dr Diane Gashumba has served as the Minister of Health of the Republic of Rwanda since 4 October 2016, and from 18 March 2016, she served as the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion. A paediatrician by training, she brings 17 years’ experience in global maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) with focus on gender issues. Minister Gashumba has strong management and clinical experience, including three years as director of two districts hospitals and six years as Deputy Chief of Party for a $ 57.3 million USAID funded project focusing on improving the quality of and access to services in MNCH, family planning, reproductive health, HIV, nutrition, malaria and gender equality in 23 out of 30 districts in Rwanda. She has also worked as a strategist on building capacity and improving quality within the Rwandan health system. As a former President of the National Women Council, she is bringing vast experience in empowering women through initiation of income generating activities, gender related policy elaboration on issues such as gender-based violence, early childhood development, and sexual, adolescent and reproductive health.
Dr Altaf Lal
Senior Advisor Global Health and Innovation Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Limited
Dr Lal is Senior Advisor for Global Health and Innovation, Sun Pharma. With vast interest and knowledge of Discovery, Development, Delivery, and Diplomacy in biomedical sciences and public healthDr Altaf Lal has over three decades’ experience in malaria and infectious disease laboratory and field research, vaccinology, biotechnology, product safety, and health policy. He has strong leadership skills using science-based decision making, strategic thinking, and fostering teamwork approach.
Throughout his career Dr. Lal has worked towards building bilateral and multilateral partnerships, which has led to significant growth and collaborations at academic, institutional, industry and government levels. He has received FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation Award, Unit Citation Award, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, National Oceanic Service, James H. Nakano Citation, National Center for Infectious Disease (NICD), CDC, Outstanding Scientific Contribution to Public Health Award, NCID, CDC, Honor Award, NICD, CDC, Group Honor Award for Operational Research, NCID, CDC. He is recipient of the Life Time Achievement Award in 2016 and the Gugnani Oration Award in 2011 by the Indian Society of Malaria and other Communicable Diseases, Public Health Ambassador Award, NICD, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2009, and HIV/AIDS Ambassador Award, Hyderabad University, 2007.
Previously, Dr. Lal served as the Director of FDA India Office; Technical Director, Decade of Vaccines Collaboration; Chief Executive Officer, Hilleman Laboratories, U.S. Health Attaché and Regional Representative for South Asia at the U.S. Embassy in India; Chief Malaria Vaccine Section at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA. Dr. Lal has published over 220 papers.
Dr Winnie Mpanju-Shumbusho, MD; MPH; M.MED
Former Assistant Director General for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization
Dr. Winnie Mpanju-Shumbusho has more than 35 years’ experience in key senior leadership positions in health, public health, global health and international cooperation. She served as the World Health Organization’s Assistant Director General for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases until her retirement on 31 December 2015. She led WHO’s work in prevention, control, impact-mitigation, technical support to countries; and global partnerships to combat these diseases, thus contributing to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Her vision and leadership also ensured effective transition of the WHO’s HTM Cluster’s work from the MDG to the SDG framework.
Previously Dr. Mpanju-Shumbusho deputized the WHO ADG/HTM; and concurrently directed the WHO’s Office for Global Fund Partnership and Technical Cooperation, including WHO’s technical support to countries, that facilitated eligible countries’ access and utilisation of more than 10 billion USD from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and contribute to health systems strengthening.
Earlier she served as Director of the WHO’s HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programme and co-founder of the WHO 3by5 Initiative.
She has also served as a member of various international boards, including the Global Fund Board, “Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases”Board; WHO/UNICEF-UNDP-World Bank Special Programme for research and training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) Board; UNITAID Board and UNAIDS Programme Coordination Board; Adventures in Health, Education and Agricultural Development (AHEAD Inc.) International Board; and Tanzania National Water Authority Board.
Prior to joining WHO, Dr Mpanju-Shumbusho was Director General of the Commonwealth Regional Health Community Secretariat for East, Central and Southern Africa (now known as the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community Secretariat), where she spearheaded policies and mobilised political commitment, resources and partnerships to tackle the Region’s public health priorities. She also served as the Head of the University of Dar-es-salaam’s Department of Community Health; Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics & Child Health and Community Health; Chief Public Health Adviser to the Ministry of Health of Tanzania; and International Monitor of multi-country clinical trials for malaria drugs and vaccines on behalf WHO/TDR.
Dr. Mpanju-Shumbusho has won various leadership, humanitarian and academic awards, including the AHEAD Humanitarian Award; and she has published widely.
As a native of a malaria endemic country, Dr Mpanju-Shumbusho brings a multi-faceted perspective to the RBM Board, along with her unwavering commitment and resolve to end the scourge of malaria.
Mr Ray Nishimoto
Representative Director & Senior managing Executive Officer, President of Health & Crop Sciences Sector, Sumitomo Chemical
Mr Nishimoto is a member of the Board of Sumitomo Chemical and responsible for the Health & Crop Sciences Sector. Sumitomo Chemical is one of Japan’s leading chemical companies with operations in five business sectors: Petrochemicals & Plastics, Energy & Functional Materials, IT-related Chemicals, Health & Crop Sciences and Pharmaceuticals.
Mr. Nishimoto joined Sumitomo Chemical in 1980 and has more than 20 years of extensive management experience and expertise in Health & Crop Sciences. He has served as Executive Vice President at Valent USA Corporation (Walnut Creek, CA), one of Sumitomo Chemical’s affiliates in Crop Protection business from 1998 to 2003. He became an Executive Officer in 2009, a Managing Executive Officer in 2011, a member of the Board (Representative Director) in 2013 and a Senior Managing Executive Officer of Sumitomo Chemical in 2015.
Since 2010, Mr. Nishimoto has supervised Global Crop Protection, Vector Control and Sectorial Planning. Since 2013, he has supervised all sector business including Environmental Health, Animal Nutrition and Pharmaceutical Chemicals (API and Intermediates). His mandate for Vector Control is to provide integrated technical solutions for disease prevention in a manner that maximizes lives saved, as part of Sumitomo Chemical’s commitment to CSR. Mr. Nishimoto has also served as a member of the Crop Protection Strategic Council, CropLife International since 2010 (Vice Chair from 2014), as the Vice President of Japan Crop Protection Association as well as a member of the Board of Advisors of Friends of the Global Fund, Japan since 2013 and as a member of the Board of Malaria No More Japan since 2016. He holds a B.A. in Economics with honors from Osaka University.
Dr David Reddy
Chief Executive Officer, Medicines for Malaria Venture
Dr David Reddy, PhD, is CEO of Medicines for Malaria Venture. This not-for-profit research foundation, with its partners, has brought forward 13 new antimalarial drugs to malaria-endemic countries, saving an estimated 2 million lives to date. In addition, MMV has broadened the global malaria medicine portfolio and manages, with its partners, 65 projects, and has 10 compounds in clinical development including molecules with novel mechanisms of action, conferring benefits against drug resistant malaria parasites.
David is a New Zealand / Swiss dual national, with 26 years of experience in the development and commercialization of medicines for the treatment of infectious diseases. His resume includes successful leadership of drug development teams, licensing and alliance management, market analytics and business planning, product and disease area management, and interfacing with Governments, NGOs and patient advocacy groups around access to medicines for priority diseases including HIV/AIDS and pandemic influenza. David is a Board member of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and of the Board of Trustees of Malaria No More UK. David has a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Dr Mirta Roses Periago
Director Emeritus of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
Dr Mirta Roses Periago, from Argentina, is the Director Emeritus of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), also the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Americas, after being elected twice as Director (2003 to 2013) becoming the first woman to head the world’s oldest international public health organization (founded in 1902) and the first female WHO Regional Director.
Before that, she was PAHO Assistant Director (1995-2003) with direct supervision of Country Offices in the Americas and one of the six members of WHO’s Directors of Program Management Group (DPMs). She has served WHO for almost three decades actively participating in global efforts in epidemic control and emergencies, equity in health, health promotion and security and health regulation. Her international career started as coordinator of the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit (Caribbean Epidemiology Center-CAREC) in Trinidad and Tobago (1984-1986), serving all Caribbean countries, and afterwards as PAHO/WHO Representative in the Dominican Republic (1988-1992) and in Bolivia (1992-1995).
Dr. Roses chaired the Global Agenda Council on Chronic Diseases and Well-Being (GAC/NCDs) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) from August 2010 to July 2011 leading to the first UN High Level meeting on NCDs. Currently she is a corresponding member of the National Academy of Medicine (Buenos Aires.), LAC Board member at the Global Fund AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis as well as member of the WHO SAGeM/Strategic advisory Group on Malaria eradication, Sasakawa Health Foundation SAG on Global Leprosy elimination, WHO TIMB (Transition Independent Monitoring Board Polio eradication) and WHO MEOC (Malaria eradication oversight committee)
Dr Kenneth Staley
Global Malaria Coordinator of the United States President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI)
Dr. Ken Staley was appointed in April 2018 to lead the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the largest effort in history to control malaria in Africa and the Greater Mekong region in Asia. As coordinator, Dr. Staley reports to the USAID administrator and has primary responsibility for the oversight and coordination of all resources and international activities of the U.S. Government relating to efforts to combat malaria.
Dr. Staley brings to PMI a breadth of experience in both the private sector and government. At McKinsey and Company, he assisted with large public health crisis responses to Ebola and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome. As an executive at Medtronic, he expanded access to medical technology in emerging economies. Dr. Staley served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterproliferation (Acting) in the Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation during the George W. Bush administration. Prior to that, Dr. Staley served as Director for Biodefense Policy at the White House Homeland Security Council Biodefense Directorate where he coordinated implementation of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza. In addition to an M.D. from the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine, Dr. Staley also holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.
Dr Marijke Wijnroks
Chief of Staff, Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
Marijke Wijnroks became Chief of Staff at the Global Fund in 2013. From June 2017 through February 2018, she served as Interim Executive Director. In her position she has a broad responsibility and a particular focus on gender and human rights and on engaging with all partners in the cause of global health. Before joining the Global Fund, Marijke Wijnroks was Ambassador for HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and also Deputy Director of the Social Development Department, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands. In that position she has overseen policy and strategy development in areas related to HIV and AIDS, sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender, education and civil society. She earned a medical degree from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and a degree in tropical health and medicine from the Institute for Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium.
Professor Yongyuth Yuthavong
Former Deputy Prime Minister, Thailand
Professor Dr Yongyuth Yuthavong is a former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Science and Technology, Thailand and an outstanding Thai scientist with a particular interest in the broad issues of public policies, especially those concerning the application of science and technology for development – as well as human development in general.
Dr. Yongyuth spent a long career at Mahidol University, conducting research and teaching. He was appointed Professor of Biochemistry in 1983 and was honoured with the “Outstanding Scientist of Thailand” Award in 1984, from the Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Technology. During the same period, he was chosen as the Director of the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) from 1985 until 1989.
Dr. Yongyuth became the first President of Thailand’s National Science & Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) from 1992 until 1998 and in 2004, he received the Nikkei Asia Prize for Science, Technology and Innovation from the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan, for his outstanding work on antimalarial drug targets, as well as the prestigious “Person of the Year” Award from Thailand’s National Identity Board. Dr. Yongyuth served as the Minister of Science and Technology from 2006 to 2008, when The Nation newspaper named him one of “the 35 most influential Thais over the past 35 years”. Dr. Yongyuth has since returned to his research career with BIOTEC, where he now heads a research group working on the development of new antimalarials.
United Nations Office for Project Services
The United Nations Offices for Project Services (UNOPS) serves as the host of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria. UNOPS serves in an ex-officio function on the Partnership Board.
