Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute names new CEO

The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) has appointed Patrice Matchaba, as chief executive (CEO), starting June 10, 2024.

He succeeds the current CEO, Emilio Emini, recently announced his retirement, effective on June 30, 2024.
Dr Matchaba began his career as a physician in South Africa before working for more than two decades in the pharmaceutical industry. In his time with Novartis (NOVN: VX) Global Pharmaceuticals in the USA and Switzerland, Dr Matchaba gained expertise in drug development, global product registration, and market access. Prior to joining the institute, his most recent roles were president of Novartis' US Foundation and Novartis group head of global health.

Before joining Novartis, Dr Matchaba was a senior research scientist at the Cochrane Centre based at the South African Medical Research Centre in Cape Town, which he joined after practicing as an obstetrician and gynecologist in Durban. He also worked as a medical doctor in the mines of Botswana for three years, where he saw the ravages of tuberculosis (TB) firsthand. He was born in Zimbabwe and is a citizen of South Africa and the USA.