Global Fund Appoints Australian as Deputy Executive Director
11 April 2005
Geneva – After a six month search, the Global Fund is pleased to announce the appointment of Australian Helen Evans to serve as the Secretariat’s first Deputy Executive Director. As the second in command after Executive Director Richard Feachem, Ms. Evans will oversee the performance and management of the Secretariat as the Global Fund moves into a more established and mature phase, three years after its founding. The creation of this new position reflects the rapid growth of the organization from a skeleton staff just three years ago to a Secretariat of nearly 150 people, facing the challenges of an expanding portfolio of grants in 128 countries. To date, the Global Fund has committed US$3.2 billion to support aggressive interventions against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Its resource needs are US$2.3 billion for 2005, US$3.5 billion for 2006, and US$3.6 billion for 2007.
“Helen Evans brings extensive management experience and the wisdom and sensitivity of a long career in a multicultural health environment,” said Professor Feachem. “Her skill set complements mine and those of the other senior managers of the Global Fund. Helen will play a crucial role in taking the Global Fund from a rapidly growing startup to a mature, major financing institution.”
Ms. Evans brings 30 years of senior management experience in health and social policy to the Global Fund, as well as a proven track record of leading effective teams in politically challenging environments. For the past seven years, she has been the head of the Australian Government’s Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. In the early 1990s, she headed the HIV/AIDS and Communicable Diseases Branch of the Federal Health Department, where she led Australia’s early and comprehensive response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This included the development of successive national HIV/AIDS Strategies, considered to be ‘best practice’ by many countries. In addition, Ms. Evans was involved in the negotiations to establish UNAIDS, and was the Australian Government’s representative on the first UNAIDS board. The Government of Australia has pledged nearly US$18 million in support of the Global Fund to date.