Melinda French Gates

Philanthropist, Businesswoman, Global Advocate for Women & Girls; Founder of Pivotal Ventures; Former Chair & Co-Founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

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Seattle, WA, USA
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Melinda French Gates Biography

Melinda French Gates is a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls. She developed an early interest in computers while taking an advanced math class at the Ursuline Academy, a Catholic school for girls. She went on to pursue this interest in college, earning a bachelor's degree in computer science from Duke University in 1986. The following year, she obtained a master's degree in business administration, with a focus in economics, from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

French Gates joined Microsoft Corporation in 1987, and married Bill Gates in 1994. That same year, the couple co-founded what was later to become the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In her role as co-chair, French Gates has helped shape and approve strategies, review results, and advocate for foundation issues. Besides focusing on the improvement of people's health with vaccines and other life-saving tools in developing countries, the foundation also seeks to dramatically improve education in the United States. In 2006, French Gates restructured the organization and in 2012, she pledged $560 million toward improving access to contraception for women in poor countries.

Beyond the realm of the foundation, French Gates has become a vocal advocate for empowering women and girls at home and abroad. She spearheaded the London Summit on Family Planning in 2012, and has given multiple TED talks, including: "What nonprofits can learn from Coca-Cola," "Let's put birth control back on the agenda," and "Why giving away our wealth has been the most satisfying thing we've done."

In 2015, aiming to utilize a broader range of tools beyond those available in a foundation setting, French Gates founded Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company working to drive social progress for women and families in the United States. In 2024, French Gates announced her resignation as co-chair of the foundation to dedicate more time and resources to her philanthropic efforts in promoting women's health and reproductive freedom.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 06/11/2024.

Melinda French Gates Videos

  • Melinda French Gates' Brief But Spectacular take on making birth ...
    Melinda French Gates envisions a world where women and their newborns remain healthy before during and after childbirth.
  • Melinda Gates On Global Health And Investing In Women - YouTube
    Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair and co-founder Melinda Gates sits down with CNBC's Becky Quick on creating networks for women ...
  • ChefConf 2018 Keynote: "Do Change" with Bill & Melinda Gates ...
    The theme of ChefConf 2018 was “Do Change”, and nobody embodies the possibilities of change for global impact like the Bill and Melinda ...

Melinda French Gates Books

  • The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World
    The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World

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  • What topics does Melinda French Gates speak about?

    Melinda French Gates is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Authors, Business, Business Leadership, College, Commencement, Culture, Economy, Education, Entrepreneurship, Female Leadership, Influential Women, Innovation, Leadership, Literary, Non-Profit, Technology, Women.
  • Where does Melinda French Gates travel from?

    Melinda French Gates generally travels from Seattle, WA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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Melinda French Gates is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Melinda French Gates for your event is $100,000 - $200,000. Melinda French Gates generally travels from Seattle, WA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Sara Blakely, Sheryl Sandberg, Daymond John, Mayim Bialik and Reshma Saujani. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Melinda French Gates for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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