Melinda Gates is one of the most influential businesswomen and philanthropists in America. As the wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, she helped grow Microsoft into the technology powerhouse it is today. Though often overshadowed by her more famous husband, Melinda played a key role in Microsoft's success and has made tremendous contributions to philanthropy.
Born Melinda Ann French in 1964 in Dallas, Texas, she earned degrees in computer science and economics from Duke University and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business. She joined Microsoft in 1987 as a product manager and met Bill Gates at an Expo trade show that year. After a years-long courtship, the two married in 1994 in Hawaii.
As Microsoft's success grew throughout the 90s, so did Melinda's influence over the company. She guided Bill through the Microsoft antitrust lawsuit, providing a more humanitarian perspective to balance his cutthroat business tactics. She also pushed him to make Microsoft more family-friendly with improved benefits and work-life balance.
Since leaving Microsoft in 1996 to focus on philanthropy, Melinda has become one of the most prolific philanthropists ever. She and Bill created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, the world's largest private charitable organization. With an endowment of $50 billion, the foundation has contributed over $45 billion to causes like global health and development, education, and poverty alleviation.
Melinda has made empowering women and girls worldwide the centerpiece of her philanthropic work. She founded Pivotal Ventures in 2015 to further this cause, investing over $1 billion to-date. Through her leadership, the Gates Foundation has committed $2.5 billion to gender equality efforts and launched initiatives like the Women's Economic Empowerment Hub.
Despite her divorce from Bill in 2021, Melinda continues impacting the world through business and philanthropy. She remains co-chair of the Gates Foundation and recently published a book entitled “The Moment of Lift” about empowering women. Though often unseen behind the curtain, Melinda Gates has quietly become one of the most influential businesswomen and philanthropists changing the world. Her humanitarian leadership serves as an inspiration to all.
© By Adama Toulon with Ai
© Photo: pivotalventures.org