Mark Suzman
| Mark Suzman LinkedIn | |
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| File:Mark Suzman.png | |
| Born | South Africa |
| Alma mater | Balliol College (Oxford),Harvard |
Became CEO of the Gates Foundation in February 2020. | |
Mark Suzman became CEO of the Gates Foundation in February 2020.[1]
Education
Suzmanholds a doctorate in international relations from Balliol College, Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He received a bachelor's degree from Harvard University.[2]
Career
He began his career in journalism, writing for the Johannesburg Star and then the Financial Times in Johannesburg, London and Washington DC., where he covered international trade policy, welfare reform, and political issues, including the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela. In 2000, Suzman joined the United Nations, where he was part of the effort to implement the Millennium Development Goals under the leadership of then Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He held multiple positions at the UN over his six-year tenure, including 2005-2007 senior advisor for policy and strategic communications in the Office of the Secretary General, and policy director in the Office of the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program.[2]
Suzman joined the Gates foundation in 2007 as director of Global Development Policy, Advocacy, and Special Initiatives. He then was managing director of Country Offices, president of Global Policy and Advocacy, and chief strategy officer. In these roles, he built and oversaw the development of the foundation's offices in India, China, Africa, and Europe, and managed the foundation's relationships with government, private philanthropists, and civil society. He also implemented a new system for how the foundation measures impact and manages tradeoffs across its strategic priorities.[2]