Transition at the Top: GBCHealth Appoints Lesley-Anne Long as New President and Chief Executive Officer
NEW YORK, February 16, 2021 /3BL Media/ - GBCHealth announced today the appointment of Lesley-Anne Long as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. In this role, she will lead the organization's strategy and multi-sector collaborations with the business community and public sector agencies to address some of today’s toughest global health challenges. Lesley-Anne takes over from outgoing President and CEO Nancy Wildfeir-Field, following her retirement.
Lesley-Anne brings to GBCHealth extensive leadership experience and a strong record of achievement in the fields of global health, digital technology, international development, higher education and law. Over the course of her career, she has developed a reputation for inclusive, collaborative leadership and successfully orchestrating ambitious new initiatives in the fields of global and digital health.
Since moving to Washington, D.C., from London, England eight years ago, Lesley-Anne has served as Global Director for mPowering Frontline Health Workers, the first Director of Digital Square at PATH and a strategic advisor and consultant for private sector companies, foundations, and NGO and UN clients, as well as the World Bank. Lesley-Anne is an Advisory Council member for Wilton Park UK, a Board member for Translators without Borders and SPIDER, and a Fellow at the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
“The GBCHealth Board is thrilled to welcome Lesley-Anne as our new President and CEO,” said Gary Cohen, Board Co-Chair. “Her wide-ranging experiences in global development and engaging personal style fit perfectly with GBCHealth’s legacy and plans for the future. As we extend our warm welcome to Lesley-Anne, we also extend our gratitude to Nancy for her many years of successful leadership of GBCHealth.”
“The current pandemic only reinforces the strong business case for private sector engagement in health,” said Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Founder and Chairman of the Africa Initiative for Governance, and Co-Chair of the GBCHealth Board. “We see this as an opportunity to strengthen our work, and expand our engagement with businesses in meaningful ways, through partnerships, multi-sector collaborations and a global-local connection. Lesley-Anne has strong relationships with some of the most important stakeholders in the global health space, and we are confident that her global and multifaceted experience makes her the ideal leader for GBCHealth as we enter this next phase.”
“My thanks to the GBCHealth Board for this opportunity,” said Long. “GBCHealth has a strong history of leading business engagement in global health matters. We will continue to work closely with partners to drive impact, give shape to innovative solutions, track emerging issues and opportunities and catalyze sustainable, equitable and accessible health for all.”
Outgoing President and CEO, Nancy Wildfeir-Field, joined GBCHealth in 2014. During her successful tenure, GBCHealth’s strategy evolved to focus more specifically on Africa – the continent with highest disease burden and greatest health challenges. With the Board’s guidance, this work will continue to be a foundation for strengthened relevance, impact and growth in the years ahead.
“Having known Lesley-Anne for a number of years, and given her experience and networks, it is with great excitement and optimism that I hand over the organization’s leadership to her,” said Wildfeir-Field. “It has been a pleasure and honor to lead GBCHealth over the last six years. GBCHealth has provided me with some of the most rewarding times of my career. I am proud of our shared accomplishments, which could not have been achieved without a dedicated team and supportive Board.”
The GBCHealth Board extends a warm welcome to Lesley-Anne, and thanks Nancy for her six years of dedicated service to the organization and its stakeholders.
About GBCHealth
GBCHealth serves as a hub for business engagement on the world’s most pressing health challenges. It has a strong track record of catalyzing private sector investments and partnerships, designing platforms to build knowledge and multi-stakeholder collaboration, and creating tools to support companies’ ability to improve health and wellness in the workplace, in communities and collectively at a national, regional or global level.
Founded in 2001, GBCHealth continues to inspire business to leverage its power and resources to transform the health of society in innovative ways. Drawing on its network of hundreds of companies and partners, GBCHealth drives progress in the areas of greatest need including malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB and other epidemics; sexual and reproductive health rights; maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health; nutrition; and NCDs, areas where we believe the assets of the business community can have maximum impact as we work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and equitable health for all. GBCHealth also manages the Private Sector Delegation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, serves as the Secretariat for the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa, is co-founder of ABCHealth, and continues to proactively support women’s health and empowerment and the Demographic Dividend though partnerships in the Sahel.
