John Fairhurst (Head, Private Sector Engagement at The Global Fund) will present on new public private partnerships -- including between Rotary and the Global Fund -- to step up the fight against malaria.
The Global Fund is a partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics. As an international organization, the Global Fund mobilizes and invests more than US$4 billion a year to support programs run by local experts in more than 100 countries. In partnership with governments, civil society, technical agencies, the private sector and people affected by the diseases, we are challenging barriers and embracing innovation.
John has worked in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. He worked in the finance and pharmaceuticals sectors supporting mergers, acquisitions and public listings, as well as early stage biotech venture capital. He helped establish and manage the program portfolio of one of the largest private foundations on international development, the Children's Investment Fund (CIFF). He was also a Regional Manager for Oxfam in East and Central Africa overseeing development and humanitarian programs in an area covering the Democratic Republic of Congo to Eritrea, the Country Director in Afghanistan and worked in Northern Sri Lanka. He was also a board member of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a major mines clearance organization and Nobel Prize co-laureate.
Prior to joining the Global Fund John was an Executive Director at UBS Optimus where he was leading the team developing new products and innovative financing instruments to increase UBS clients’ impact funding, and hence improve children’s lives around the world. Before this he was the COO at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a Geneva based organization that focusses on improving nutrition in developing countries primarily through public private partnerships and increasing the positive impact of markets for the poor.
