The announcement earlier this month from Bill and Melinda about the end of their marriage saddened us all at the foundation. Some of the subsequent media coverage including allegations of misconduct has created confusion and concern.
In that context, I feel it’s important to be very clear that the foundation has never received any allegations of harassment regarding Bill. Both he and Melinda have repeatedly stated they both remain fully committed to working together as co-chairs of the foundation and urged us to stay focused on the important work. They have continued to be fully engaged in internal and external commitments together with our teams and partners over the past few weeks.
I also want to take this moment to underline, as I did for staff last week, that absolutely critical to our impact is building a workplace culture that enables all employees to do their best work. My responsibilities as CEO are to lead the Gates Foundation to the best of my ability in executing on our vision and mission by helping all of us—the hard working, passionate and committed staff, as well as our grantees and partners from around the world—to carry out our best work.
A key element of this culture is an unwavering commitment to provide a professional, safe, and respectful workplace that is free of harassment and where everyone is treated with courtesy, dignity, and respect. That commitment, which is detailed in our Code of Conduct, not only governs our interactions with colleagues but also how we engage with everyone from grantees to partners to visitors to our offices.
Whenever there is a direct allegation of misconduct, we carefully evaluate it and take prompt, deliberate actions appropriate to the situation. We understand that there are circumstances that may cause individuals to feel uncomfortable reporting an incident directly. To ensure that staff, grantees, and partners have avenues to raise concerns in a manner they are most comfortable with, we have created a variety of pathways for people to come forward—including an anonymous hotline and making outside legal counsel available.
As I shared publicly earlier this month, the foundation recently published our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, another critical component of an exceptional workplace culture and a key driver of impact. Every single one of our teams at the foundation have been thinking through what we must do to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and therefore more impactful. I shared that I’m committed to closing the gap between how our organization shows up and how we have promised to show up—both internally and with our grantees and partners. I also committed to sharing more about our progress in this area periodically.
I joined the foundation 14 years ago because I was—and remain—deeply inspired by the mission and vision to enable all people, everywhere, to live a healthy and productive life. Like any institution, the foundation has had its share of frustrations, flaws, and setbacks, but we have always sought to learn and improve. Looking back over our more than two decades of work, I am immensely proud of the impact the foundation, our partners, and grantees have achieved. Together, we have helped to overcome pressing challenges and provide opportunities to people all around the world.
As CEO I am committed to ensuring that we foster an exceptional workplace culture so that our staff, as well as our grantees and partners, can continue to have the greatest impact.
