30 July 2014
GENEVA – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced today that Carole Presern, a highly experienced leader in global health and development, will become Head of the Office of Board Affairs.
Dr. Presern has many years of experience as a manager, policy-maker and advisor in the field of health and development. She served most recently as Executive Director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, also known as PMNCH.
As Head of the Office of Board Affairs, a newly-created position, Dr. Presern will expand strategic reinforcement and overall support for the multi-faceted work of the Board of the Global Fund and its six core areas of responsibility: strategy, governance, finance, performance, risk management and external relations.
The Board of the Global Fund is a 20-member body with representation from external funders and implementing countries, non-governmental organizations in the field, as well as people affected by AIDS, TB and malaria. It also has 8 additional ex-officio members, representing the World Bank and technical partner organizations.
Expected to begin her new role in October, Dr. Presern will be engaged in active preparation for an important series of Board Committees meetings, Board retreat, pre-Board meetings and a full Board meeting in the coming months. Working with Board leadership and members, Dr. Presern will be responsible for the coordination and management of agendas, and will coordinate action on strategic issues identified by the Board.
Originally trained as a midwife and an anthropologist, Dr. Presern earned a doctorate in public health policy and an advanced degree in health systems management. A citizen of the UK, she has worked in Nepal, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Cambodia, among other countries.
Dr. Presern previously served as Managing Director for Special Projects and other roles at the GAVI Alliance, and before that as Counsellor at the UK Mission in Geneva, covering specialized agencies, health and humanitarian affairs. She also worked for many years for the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) as senior health/AIDS adviser for Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique.
Dr. Presern served as a member of the Board of the Global Fund for five years, and knows the work and the mission of the Fund well. She has also served on the Boards of UNITAID and the International HIV Alliance.
At PMNCH, Dr. Presern worked with 25 Board Members and a broad alliance of partners. In this position, she facilitated a transition of Board Members and Board Chair, including a transition that led to Mrs. Graca Machel becoming Board Chair of PMNCH in April 2013.
As Head of the Office of Board Affairs, Dr. Presern will advise the Board Chair, Dr. Nafsiah Mboi, and Board Vice-Chair, Mireille Guigaz, and serve as the Secretary of the Coordinating Group of the Board. She will also work to strengthen Board partnerships and oversee efforts to improve operations that contribute to fulfilment of the Global Fund’s mission.
Dr. Nafsiah Mboi and Mireille Guigaz extended a warm welcome to Dr. Presern, describing her as the right person at the right moment for the right mission.