New Chief Digital Officer Joins Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

SEATTLE, WA, USA (March 19, 2015) – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that Todd Pierce will join the organization in the newly created role of Chief Digital Officer. He comes to the foundation from salesforce.com where he served as Senior Vice President of the Healthcare and Life Sciences industry. Prior to salesforce.com, Pierce was Chief Information Officer at Genentech and for the County of Santa Clara, California, and held technology leadership roles at Roche and Veteran’s Affairs. Additionally, he has held key positions on multiple non-profit and foundation boards.

“Todd brings a wealth of leadership experience from life sciences, technology and biopharmaceutical organizations and the public sector,” said Leigh Morgan, Chief Operating Officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “His demonstrated commitment to talent development, combined with a keen understanding of cross-functional operations, will enable Todd to shape and lead an increasingly integrated strategy for technology and digital platforms in service of the foundation’s mission.”

Pierce will begin in the new role on April 6, 2015.

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 Sue Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

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