13 April 2021
The Global Fund Board has approved a decision to extend Peter Sands’ term as Executive Director of the Global Fund for an additional four years, with effect from 1 March 2022.
“Together with the Board, we extend our appreciation to Peter for his service and leadership, and for his contribution to our mission in his time as Executive Director,” said Roslyn Morauta, Vice-Chair of the Global Fund Board.
Since becoming Executive Director in 2018, Sands led the organization’s Sixth Replenishment resource mobilization efforts that culminated in 2019 with US$14 billion in pledges for the Global Fund’s three-year funding cycle – the largest amount ever raised for a multilateral health organization, and the largest amount by the Global Fund.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Sands led the Global Fund partnership in responding immediately to mitigate the impact on lifesaving HIV, TB and malaria programs, protect front-line health workers, and reinforce health systems and community health networks. Together with governments and global health leaders, Sands helped create the ACT-Accelerator, a groundbreaking global coalition to accelerate the development, production and equitable access to new COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines.
“Peter leads the Global Fund at a critical time in global health,” said Donald Kaberuka, Board Chair. “We express our support as we look to the many priorities ahead – delivering on the core mission of the Global Fund in the fight against the three diseases and serving the communities with whom we work in our Global Fund partnership, as well as playing a central role in the global COVID-19 response and developing the next Global Fund strategy.”
Prior to joining the Global Fund, Sands served as Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered PLC from 2006 to 2015, one of the world’s leading international banks operating across over 70 markets, primarily in emerging markets. After stepping down from the bank in 2015, Sands has deployed his skills and experience in international finance in global health. Sands has chaired and participated in a range of high profile initiatives and has published articles on global health and epidemics in various peer-reviewed journals. Sands has served on numerous boards and commissions, including as a governor of the UK’s National Institute for Economic and Social Research, as a member of the International Advisory Board of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, as board director of the Institute of International Finance, and as a director of the World Economic Forum.