The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Appoints Goalkeepers Advisory Board to Accelerate Progress on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

SEATTLE, May 22, 2019 – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced the appointment of a new advisory board to help shape the direction of Goalkeepers, a multiyear initiative dedicated to accelerating progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals).

The Goalkeepers Advisory Board consists of ten leaders representing a diverse range of countries, including China, France, Germany, India, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, the UK, and the United States. Board members will serve for a period of two years.

“The Gates Foundation is honored to have these individuals join the Goalkeepers team. They are inspiring leaders, from a variety of backgrounds, countries, and industries, who share a passion for driving progress toward the Global Goals. We look forward to seeing what we can achieve together,” said Alex Reid, head of Goalkeepers, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Goalkeepers Advisory Board will contribute to key components of the Goalkeepers initiative including events, the Goalkeepers Data Report, and supporting effective engagement with the Goalkeepers community of leaders. They will also work with the foundation to expand the reach and network of Goalkeepers globally.

Previous Goalkeepers event attendees were invited to apply for positions on the Advisory Board, and members were selected based on their skills, sectors and backgrounds.

The advisory board members are:

• Dr. Angel Adelaja, Founder and CEO of Fresh Direct Nigeria
• Lili Buffett, Co-founder of Global Impact LLC
• Radia Cheikh Lahlou, Associate Director at Déclic
• Alex Holmes, Deputy CEO of The Diana Award
• Lukas Köhler, MP, FDP
• Jasmine Lau, Co-founder and Executive Director of Philanthropy in Motion
• Blessing Omakwu-Soremekun, Special advisor at ONE and Founder of the She Tank
• Scheaffer Okore, Vice Chairperson of the Ukweli Party, Campaigns Director, Kenya
• Nikhil Taneja, Co-founder and CEO of Yuvaa
• Christian Vanizette, Founder of Makesense

Visit http://gatesfoundation.org/goalkeepers/what-is-goalkeepers/advisoryboard for more information.

Notes to Editors
Media inquiries should be directed to [email protected].

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.

About Goalkeepers
Goalkeepers is the foundation's campaign to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (or Global Goals). By sharing stories and data behind the Global Goals through events and an annual report, we hope to inspire a new generation of leaders—Goalkeepers who raise awareness of progress, hold their leaders accountable, and drive action to achieve the Global Goals.

About the Global Goals
On September 25, 2015, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, 193 world leaders committed to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (or Global Goals). These are a series of ambitious objectives and targets to achieve three extraordinary things by 2030: end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change.