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Bill Gates
William H. Gates
Chairman and Chief Software Architect
Microsoft Corporation
William
(Bill) H. Gates is chairman and chief software architect
of Microsoft Corporation, the worldwide leader in
software, services and Internet technologies for personal
and business computing. Microsoft had revenues of
US$32.19 billion for the fiscal year ending June 2003,
and employs more than 55,000 people in 85 countries
and regions.
Born
on Oct. 28, 1955, Gates grew up in Seattle with his
two sisters. Their father, William H. Gates II, is
a Seattle attorney. Their late mother, Mary Gates,
was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent,
and chairwoman of United Way International.
Gates
attended public elementary school and the private
Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest
in software and began programming computers at age
13.
In
1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman,
where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer, now
Microsoft's chief executive officer. While at Harvard,
Gates developed a version of the programming language
BASIC for the first microcomputer - the MITS Altair.
In
his junior year, Gates left Harvard to devote his
energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975
with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a
belief that the computer would be a valuable tool
on every office desktop and in every home, they began
developing software for personal computers. Gates'
foresight and his vision for personal computing have
been central to the success of Microsoft and the software
industry.
Under
Gates' leadership, Microsoft's mission has been to
continually advance and improve software technology,
and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more
enjoyable for people to use computers. The company
is committed to a long-term view, reflected in its
investment of more than $6.8 billion on research and
development in the current fiscal year.
In
1999, Gates wrote Business @ the Speed of Thought,
a book that shows how computer technology can solve
business problems in fundamentally new ways. The book
was published in 25 languages and is available in
more than 60 countries. Business @ the Speed of Thought
has received wide critical acclaim, and was listed
on the best-seller lists of the New York Times, USA
Today, the Wall Street Journal and Amazon.com. Gates'
previous book, The Road Ahead, published in 1995,
held the No. 1 spot on the New York Times' bestseller
list for seven weeks.
Gates
has donated the proceeds of both books to non-profit
organizations that support the use of technology in
education and skills development.
In
addition to his love of computers and software, Gates
is interested in biotechnology. He sits on the board
of ICOS, a company that specializes in protein-based
and small-molecule therapeutics, and he is an investor
in a number of other biotechnology companies. Gates
also founded Corbis, which is developing one of the
world's largest resources of visual information -
a comprehensive digital archive of art and photography
from public and private collections around the globe.
Philanthropy
is also important to Gates. He and his wife, Melinda,
have endowed a foundation with more than $24 billion
to support philanthropic initiatives in the areas
of global health and learning, with the hope that
as we move into the 21st century, advances in these
critical areas will be available for all people. To
date, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed
more than $3.2 billion to organizations working in
global health; more than $2 billion to improve learning
opportunities, including the Gates Library Initiative
to bring computers, Internet Access and training to
public libraries in low-income communities in the
United States and Canada; more than $477 million to
community projects in the Pacific Northwest; and more
than $488 million to special projects and annual giving
campaigns.
Gates
was married on Jan. 1, 1994, to Melinda French Gates.
They have three children. Gates is an avid reader,
and enjoys playing golf and bridge.
Last
updated September 2003
(Credit:
Microsoft)
Press Release
October 3, 2007
Former Mexican Institutes of Health Director Joins Foundation
Dr. Jaime Sepulveda appointed director of Integrated Health Solutions Development in the foundation's Global Health Program
Contact:
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Phone: 206.709.3400
Email: media@gatesfoundation.org
SEATTLE -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today that Dr. Jaime Sepulveda has joined the foundation's Global Health Program as director of Integrated Health Solutions Development. Dr. Sepulveda is former director of the National Institutes of Health of Mexico and also Mexico's former vice minister of health.
In his new position, Dr. Sepulveda will oversee the foundation's efforts to develop new tools and strategies for diseases and health conditions that claim millions of lives every year in the poorest countries. His specific areas of responsibility will include maternal, newborn, child, and reproductive health; vaccine-preventable diseases; and nutrition.
"Jaime is an accomplished health scientist, and throughout his distinguished career he has been a passionate advocate for health," said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Gates Foundation's Global Health Program. "We're incredibly fortunate to have him leading our efforts to develop effective new tools to fight the world's greatest health problems."
Prior to joining the foundation, Dr. Sepulveda served for more than 20 years in a variety of senior health posts in the Mexican government. As director of the National Institutes of Health of Mexico from 2003 to 2006, Dr. Sepulveda oversaw Mexico's medical research institutes with a combined annual budget of more than $1 billion. He also served as director-general of Mexico's National Institute of Public Health and dean of the National School of Public Health for almost a decade.
"I am excited and honored to join the Gates Foundation, and look forward to working with the foundation's grantees, partners, and staff," Dr. Sepulveda said. "This is an important time in global health research and development--we're closer than ever to new vaccines, drugs, and other tools that could greatly improve health in poor countries."
In addition to his research credentials, Dr. Sepulveda is an experienced implementer of effective health programs. As Mexico's director-general of epidemiology and later vice minister of health, Dr. Sepulveda designed Mexico's Universal Vaccination Program, which eliminated polio, measles, and diphtheria by more than doubling childhood immunization coverage in two years.
He also established a national health surveillance system that has trained hundreds of field epidemiologists and includes a network of state health laboratories. He is the founder of Mexico's National AIDS Council, and is credited with helping to implement early and aggressive HIV prevention campaigns.
Dr. Sepulveda holds a medical degree from National Autonomous University of Mexico and three advanced degrees from the Harvard School of Public Health. He is a member of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
The foundation's Integrated Health Solutions Development program is one of five teams in the recently reorganized Global Health Program. The others are Infectious Diseases Development, Global Health Discovery, Global Health Delivery, and Global Health Advocacy.
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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (http://www.gatesfoundation.org) Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to reduce inequities and improve lives around the world. In developing countries, it focuses on improving health, reducing extreme poverty, and increasing access to technology in public libraries. In the United States, the foundation seeks to ensure that all people have access to a great education and to technology in public libraries. In its local region, it focuses on improving the lives of low-income families. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and Co-chairs William H. Gates Sr., Bill Gates, and Melinda French Gates.
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