Chief Communications Officer to Step Down

SEATTLE (October 10, 2013) — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that Kate James, Chief Communications Officer, will leave the foundation at the end of November to become the new Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pearson. The company announced the appointment in a press release today. 

“With her drive, passion for our mission, and a sophisticated vision for how the foundation can more effectively communicate the impact and importance of the work we do, Kate has left a lasting legacy on the organization. She has been a wonderful partner during her tenure, and leaves behind a truly world class communications team and function,” said Melinda Gates, co-chair of the foundation.

“Kate helped us set a much more ambitious agenda for communications and created the capacity to deliver on that agenda by building a centralized global communications group, attracting great talent and building new, in-house capabilities. Kate leaves behind a strong team set up to do cutting-edge communications on behalf of the foundation’s mission,” said CEO Jeff Raikes.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

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