Global Fund Launches Process to Select New Executive Director
04 February 2026
GENEVA – The Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) has formally launched the process to select its next Executive Director for a four-year term starting from 2027.
The Executive Director is responsible for the overall leadership, management and performance of the Global Fund Secretariat, including its operational and administrative functions. Reporting directly to the Global Fund Board, the Executive Director defines the organization’s strategic vision, leads its implementation and is accountable for results delivered across the partnership.
A central responsibility of the Executive Director is to uphold, embody and represent the Global Fund’s mission in all internal and external engagements. Through their leadership, the Executive Director sets the tone for how the Global Fund operates – fostering a culture grounded in high ethical standards, integrity, transparency, fairness, partnership and mutual accountability.
The next Executive Director will be appointed by the Board in late 2026, in accordance with the organization’s governance framework. The Global Fund has engaged Russell Reynolds Associates to support the search and selection process.
This leadership transition comes at a pivotal moment for global health and development. Challenging global trends – including rising pressure on official development assistance, shifting geopolitical priorities, and tighter fiscal space across many donor and implementing countries – are reshaping the environment in which health programs operate and increasing the imperative for institutions to remain agile, effective and fit for purpose.
Against this backdrop, the Global Fund partnership is focused on sustaining hard-won gains while accelerating impact as it adapts to a rapidly evolving global health landscape. This new era is defined by transformation, innovation and shared responsibility – with a renewed emphasis on efficiency, impact, resilience and a clearer pathway to country self-reliance.
Under the leadership of the next Executive Director, the Global Fund partnership will continue to work with countries, communities and partners to accelerate their pathway to self-reliance – leveraging innovation, strengthening efficiencies and helping to build a global health ecosystem that is more collaborative, more coherent and more responsive to country priorities. This approach is essential to advancing the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, strengthening health systems, and building a healthier, safer and more equitable world.
The successful candidate will be an adaptive leader with the ability to guide a diverse global partnership through complexity and change, translate strategy into measurable impact, and navigate evolving political and financial environments while safeguarding results.
For further information on the Executive Director role – including qualifications, requirements, terms of service and instructions on how to express interest – please visit the Russell Reynolds Associates platform here.