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Melinda French Gates on Monday announced she was leaving the mega philanthropy foundation which she established with her ex-husband (the co-founder of Microsoft), Bill Gates.
The resignation, which will come into effect on June 7, will leave Bill Gates as the sole chair of one of the world’s most influential and powerful non-governmental organisations.
“After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to resign from my role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation” Melinda French Gates, wrote in a statement, shared on social media.
The statement gave no reason for her departure. It however did note that “under the terms of my agreement with Bill, in leaving the foundation, I will have an additional $12.5 billion to commit to my work on behalf of women and families”.
The couple tied the knot in 1994 and announced their divorce in 2021.
They had continued to co-chair the foundation that they established in 2001, with the vast wealth acquired, through the success of Microsoft.
With a focus on child poverty and preventable diseases, the foundation has been knee deep in efforts to fight malaria and in providing toilets and sanitation, in disadvantaged regions of the world.
The foundation’s website says it has spent $53.8 billion since 2000, whilst also claiming that the number of children around the world who die before their fifth birthday ‘has halved’ in this time.
Bill Gates thanked his ex-wife for her “critical contributions” to the organisation.
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