Seattle, August 1, 2019 - Malaria No More welcomes to its Board of Directors Uday Shankar, Chairman of Star and Disney India and President of The Walt Disney Company’s Asia Pacific Unit, and Kathy Park, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs.
“Malaria No More relies on the political, communications and technical savvy of our Board to pursue our mission to ensure no one dies of a mosquito bite,” said Martin Edlund, CEO, Malaria No More. “Uday and Kathy bring a wealth of expertise and influence that will help advance Malaria No More’s work to end one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases, and we’re grateful for their leadership and commitment.”
Uday Shankar: Media champion driving social change in Asia Pacific
A trained journalist, Uday Shankar helped to pioneer the development of the TV news ecosystem in India. He is a recognized leader in India’s and the Asia Pacific region’s media and entertainment industries for helping to scale new technologies while driving social change to fuel women’s empowerment and to promote progressive mindsets in India.
Mr. Shankar’s expertise will be instrumental as Malaria No More works with India’s Government to develop the first national mosquito-borne disease education campaign, and works with the State of Odisha – one of India’s highest malaria burden states that reduced malaria cases by more than 80% between 2017 and 2018 – to replicate its success in other high burden regions in India.
Kathy Park: A leader in innovative finance and women's issues
At Goldman Sachs, Kathy Park is head of Fund & Private Capital Raising in the Americas, and has been a leader in developing innovative and bespoke financing and business solutions, particularly for alternative investment managers and financial institutions. Park has also championed women’s issues as a Board member of Susan G. Komen Greater NYC.
To put the world on a path to eradicate malaria, funding will need to grow to more than $5 billion annually by 2025, according to the report titled From Aspiration to Action: What will it take to end malaria. Recent models in Africa and the Americas demonstrate that the tools of innovative finance can play a role in filling that gap and unlocking domestic resources for malaria and broader health issues.
“Malaria disproportionately affects women, putting their lives at risk, threatening the health of their unborn children and hampering earning potential,” Park said. “This is a critical time to mobilize new resources to step up the fight to end malaria. Malaria No More’s work has contributed to the global effort that resulted in saving 7 million lives and preventing more than 1 billion malaria cases since 2000. I am honored to join my fellow board members who are committed to ending this preventable and treatable disease.”
Malaria No More was co-founded by businessmen Ray Chambers, who currently serves as the WHO Ambassador for Global Strategy, and Peter Chernin, Founder and CEO of The Chernin Group. Chernin and Chris Combe, Chairman of Combe Incorporated, serve as Co-Chairs of the Board. The additions of Shankar and Park build on Malaria No More’s Board expansion in 2018, which saw the addition of visionary global leaders including Dick Costolo, former CEO of Twitter; Surya Mohapatra, former Chairman, President and CEO, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated; Kieran Murphy, President and CEO, GE Healthcare; and Rich Verma, former US Ambassador to India.
New staff strengthen Malaria No More’s work in India and globally
Malaria No More today named Dr. Sanjeev Singh Gaikwad as its India Country Director. Dr. Gaikwad brings a depth of experience in areas that align closely to Malaria No More’s focus in India, including in technical programs, national communications campaigns, and policy and advocacy work in Delhi and state capitals. He brings 30 years of global service to agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), FHI360 and most recently Abt Associates.
“I look forward to leading Malaria No More India to support the Government of India and our partners in making malaria a disease of the past in India, just like India did with smallpox and polio,” Dr. Gaikwad said. “India has made great strides against this ancient disease, and now we must turbocharge our efforts to rally the political will, increase human engagement, harness data and adopt new innovations to end malaria for good in India.”
To strengthen its work supporting India’s goal to be malaria-free by 2030, Malaria No More also expanded its India Country Team by hiring: Narendra Shekhar Behera, Odisha Research, Data Management and Metrics & Evaluation Manager; Bhesaja Kumar Choudhury, Odisha BCC and Public Relations Communications Manager; Manisha Gautam, Communications Lead; Susanta Jena, Office Assistant; and Ajit Samantray, Administrative Officer.
In addition, Malaria No More recently hired Kate Hourihan, Graphic Designer, and Carrie Nichols, International Programs Manager, to work in its U.S. offices.
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For more information or interview requests, contact Wynne Boelt at +1 206-661-2798 or wynne.boelt@MalariaNoMore.org
About Malaria No More
Malaria No More envisions a world where no one dies from a mosquito bite. More than a decade into our mission, our work has contributed to historic progress toward this goal. Now, we’re mobilizing the political commitment, funding, and innovation required to achieve what would be one of the greatest humanitarian accomplishments – ending malaria within our generation. For more information, visit www.malarianomore.org
