Strive Masiyiwa was today alongside Minouche Shafik, and Tom Tierney appointed to the board for the Gates Foundation. This was announced by the organisation through it's social media handles. In the video that accompanied the announcement Bill Gates described Strive as energetic and willing to speak his mind. The announcement came with the release of the Gates Foundation's annual letter in which the CEO Mark Suzman expressed how honoured the organisation was by the latest appointments.
We are honored that as an initial step three deeply knowledgeable and respected individuals have agreed to join us. Between them, Strive Masiyiwa, Minouche Shafik, and Tom Tierney bring an incredible track record of impact across global business, philanthropy, and development, and we couldn’t be more excited to have them join the board. I have had the privilege of working with each of them in different capacities over the years and know they will bring integrity and insight to our shared mission of creating a world where every person has the chance to live a healthy, productive life.
Strive T. Masiyiwa is a Zimbabwean based in London and an international business leader. He has served on the foundation’s board of trustees since January 2022.
Masiyiwa is the Founder and Executive Chairman of South Africa-based Econet Group and Cassava Technologies and is one of the pioneers of the mobile telecoms industry on the African continent. Masiyiwa has also been involved in the development of Africa’s independent media.
In May 2020, Masiyiwa was appointed to serve as an African Union Special Envoy to help coordinate Africa’s private sector efforts to procure medical supplies and fight the spread of COVID-19. As Special Envoy he also heads up the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team. He led a similar private sector initiative to fight Ebola in West Africa in 2014-2015.
Masiyiwa is a member of the Giving Pledge. In 1996, he and his wife, Tsitsi, cofounded what is now known as the Higherlife Foundation which has supported the education of over 250,000 orphaned, vulnerable, and gifted children across Africa, as well as health, disaster relief and preparedness, and rural transformation programs.
Masiyiwa received a bachelor of engineering degree from the University of Cardiff.
We are proud to welcome our new board members to the foundation. These individuals will bring diverse, independent perspectives and expertise that strengthen our efforts to create a more equitable world 🌍. pic.twitter.com/FUOXsyH85r
— Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation) January 26, 2022