Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine on Tuesday announced he will “step down in mid-March after leading the organization for five years,” according to a Global Fund press release (1/24). In a message to staff, Kazatchkine said he “concluded that I should not continue as executive director” following a November decision by the Global Fund Board to “appoint a general manager to oversee implementation of the Consolidated Transformation Plan who will report directly to the Board.” The statement continues, “I respect this decision and trust that it was made in the best interests of the Global Fund. … I am committed to an orderly transition, and I will do all that I can to ensure that the Global Fund emerges from it as a stronger organization” (1/24). In a statement, Board Chair Simon Bland said, “I thank Michel for his remarkable contribution and I look forward to working with him to ensure an efficient transition” (1/24).

The Board on Tuesday announced the appointment of Gabriel Jaramillo, former chair and CEO of Sovereign Bank, as general manager, “a newly created position intended to oversee a process of transformation as it accelerates the fight against the three pandemics by focusing on its management of risk and grants,” according to another Global Fund press release. “My priorities at the Global Fund are to achieve maximum efficiency, accountability and concrete results that save lives. … In essence, we will start with a reorganization that emphasizes simplicity, discipline and rigor, with grant-management as the core activity of the institution,” Jaramillo said, according to the release. Jaramillo will begin a 12-month appointment on February 1, the release notes (1/24).

Additional coverage of Kazatchkine’s resignation from the Global Fund is available from Agence France-Presse, Aidspan, the Associated Press, Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, the New York Times, Reuters, ScienceInsider, and the Wall Street Journal.