MALARIA NO MORE UK - Key Persons
A true pioneer at the intersection of media, democracy, and social change, Williams has also been profiled by Forbes and CNN as the man who helped elect a trifecta of Presidents in Africa. He is a World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader, Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow, British Council global change-maker, and a Mandela Washington Fellow. He was also recently appointed a United Nations Global Champion for Generation Unlimited (GenU).
Recently recognised as one of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent, Williams co-founded and runs RED | For Africa, the continent's largest and most successful portfolio of media and storytelling brands, including Red Media Africa and StateCraft Inc., focused on engaging and inspiring Africa's flourishing youth market.
Becoming a father made Andy Murray determined to play a role in the global fight to end malaria. "It's unthinkable, yet every day more than 800 children lose their lives because of a mosquito bite. In this day and age, this should not be happening. I truly hope that in years to come we can look back and know that we were the generation that helped to end deaths from malaria."
When Malaria No More UK first launched in 2009, Andy became a key supporter and founding member of our Leadership Council. Over the years, he has raised vital awareness, including wearing our logo on his sleeve when he won Wimbledon in 2016.
Job Titles:
- Professor in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London
Azra Ghani is a Professor in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London. Her research combines the use of mathematical models and statistical methods to explore the impact of interventions against infections of humans and animals, with a focus on results which can inform policy. Her malaria research has focussed on the development of models that can inform policies on how, where and when to implement different interventions against malaria to aid local elimination, and eventual eradication, of the parasite. Since 2020 she has also supported the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on global impact estimates and evaluation of vaccination strategies. She works at the interface between academia and policy, collaborating with key global health agencies including WHO, The Global Fund and Gavi. She has been a member of the WHO Malaria Policy Advisory Group since 2016.
Job Titles:
- Professor at the London School of Hygiene
Chris Drakeley is a Malariologist and Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Dame Heather Rabbatts is an entrepreneur and serves as the Non-Executive Director of the FA.
From our launch at 10 Downing Street in 2009, David Beckham became a dedicated supporter and founding member of our Leadership Council. Malaria disproportionately affects children under five, causing needless suffering and preventable deaths - something that, as a father, David has long been passionate about ending: "No father anywhere should lose a child to malaria."
David has been the face of the Malaria Must Die campaign since 2018, using his platform to raise awareness and amplify the voices of everyone living with the threat of malaria.
Awarded a CBE in 2014 for her services to charity in the UK and abroad, Dr Bonfield was a co-creator and Chief Executive of The Vision Catalyst Fund and, as Chief Executive of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, she raised over £100m and successfully implemented eye health programmes in 28 countries throughout the Commonwealth. Under Dr Bonfield's leadership, The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund became the first investor in the Cluster Munition Coalition which, over an eighteen-month period, successfully secured an international treaty banning cluster bombs. Prior to this, Dr Bonfield developed a policy unit for the Aga Khan Foundation (UK) and represented the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Brussels, as well as working as a Programme Development Specialist for the Bernard van Leer Foundation in the Netherlands.
Branwen, a global health specialist, was appointed as Director of the Global Health Policy Lab at the Virchow Foundation for Global Health in Berlin, Germany, in early 2024. With expertise in funding, scientific discovery, and translation into policy and practice, she previously consulted for TDR at the World Health Organization and was Interim Head of International Operations at Wellcome in London, UK, overseeing their Africa & Asia Programmes. Branwen's background is in infectious disease epidemiology and her experience builds on leading her own research at the MRC Unit The Gambia / London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Director General at IFPMA
- Interim Board Chair
Dr David Reddy, PhD, is the Director General at IFPMA and the former CEO of Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). MMV is a not-for-profit research foundation that, together with its partners, has brought forward 13 new antimalarial drugs to malaria-endemic countries, saving an estimated 2 million lives to date. In addition, MMV has broadened the global malaria medicine portfolio and manages, with its partners, 65 projects. David has 26 years of experience in the development and commercialization of medicines for the treatment of infectious diseases. He is also a Board member of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, as well as Malaria No More UK.'
Dr Eva Thorne directs policy and innovations for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, leading a team that focuses on politically actionable research and prototyping on Africa and the 4th industrial revolution, digitalisation for inclusive economic growth, and innovative partnerships across governments and the private sector. Eva has a background of experience working in developing countries with civil society groups, public sector institutions and NGOs on social, environmental and governance issues. She has also worked with African parliamentarians on revenue management and natural resource governance. Eva holds a doctorate in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an undergraduate degree in history from Harvard University.
The greatest marathon runner of all time, Kenyan athlete and Olympic Gold Medalist Eliud Kipchoge is helping lead the race against malaria. Eliud says: "I am honored to be on the Malaria No More UK Leadership Council. For too long now, malaria has stolen our lives, it has stolen our time, it has stolen our relatives, our children. I want to make sure that malaria doesn't steal our futures anymore."
In Kenya, thousands of lives are lost every year to malaria. Growing up, Eliud experienced malaria and saw its effects on his local community and the country as a whole. Now, he is relentless in his pursuit of positive change to end this disease for good.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Managing Partner of Open Squares Africa
Founder and Managing Partner of Open Squares Africa. Feyi consults for multi-national and indigenous firms on how to win in the African market-place. He is the Former Director of Insight Publicis, the largest advertising agency in West Africa, and author of 'The Villager: How Africans Consume Brands'.
Geoff joined the Wellcome Trust's investment team in 1998 and since then has been responsible for Wellcome's investments in venture capital funds globally, as well as the equity long/short hedge fund exposure. In all, this comprises around a quarter of Wellcome's investment portfolio.
Job Titles:
- Visiting Professor at King 's College London
Myles Wickstead is a visiting Professor at King's College London, and brings experience as a previous board member of multiple NGOs and foundations.
Retiring in 2019 after a 40 year career, Norman has worked providing professional accounting and consulting services to the Government, state-owned enterprises, private organisations, and development institutions in Zambia. He also worked at Anglo American Plc in South Africa, at Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of major subsidiaries or business units. He is Chairman of Anglo American Platinum Ltd and Zambia Sugar Plc, and sits on the Board of the South African Reserve Bank.
Peter Chernin is Chairman of Malaria No More (US) Board, and Founder of Chernin Entertainment and The Chernin Group. He later helped launch Malaria No More UK in 2009 and served as a Trustee before being recognised as one of our Founding Patrons.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President
- Group Marketing Director
Polly Cochrane serves as Executive Vice President & Group Marketing Director at Warner Bros UK & Ireland, and Chief Marketing Officer for the HPGFD corporate group.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor to Malaria No
Ray Chambers is a Founding Patron of Malaria No More UK and is the UN Special Envoy for Health in Agenda 2030. Ray Chambers co-founded Malaria No More and has previously been the UN Special Envoy for Malaria and for Financing the Health Millennium Development Goals.
Alan Court is Senior Advisor to Malaria No More UK co-founder Ray Chambers, the UN Special Envoy for Health in Agenda 2030 and for malaria.
Job Titles:
- Global Brand Director for Swedish
Sarah is Global Brand Director for Swedish multinational hygiene business Essity, responsible for driving innovation and sustainability across all markets. She is the former CEO of advertising and communications agency, AMV BBDO, an Agency she took to the top of the leagues creatively. Across a 20 year career in marketing communications Sarah has partnered with global and domestic organisations in a variety of sectors and international geographies to drive business growth, organisational transformation and cultural inclusion.
Scheaffer is a feminist governance expert and global development strategy advisor focused on gender, governance, and health policy. She serves on the boards of Womankind Worldwide and Glitch, and has held leadership positions at Women Political Leaders (WPL) in Belgium, Reid Strategies in Seatter, and SCOPE Impact in Helsinki. Scheaffer is a former member of the Gates Foundation Goalkeepers advisory group (Emeritus), Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy Advisory Council in Germany, and She's The First Board in New York. She is an inaugural Obama Foundation Africa Leaders' Fellow, advocating for women and girls in challenging power structures and promoting equity and inclusivity through storytelling.
Besides being a Founding Patron of Malaria No More UK, Simon Fuller is owner and Chief Executive of XIX Entertainment and the creator of American Idol. From seeing his father suffer from malaria, and later through his experiences living in Ghana as a child, he saw firsthand how malaria affects people's lives, and developed a personal commitment to the fight to end the disease.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Global Health at the University of California
Richard Feachem is Professor of Global Health at the University of California, Director of the Global Health Group at UCSF Global Health Sciences, and co-Chair of The Lancet Commission on Malaria Eradication.
Stewart serves as the Malaria No More UK Treasurer and is Head of London for BHP, a multinational natural resources company. In over two decades at BHP, he has held senior roles spanning finance, risk, marketing and business development. He has led teams and projects across multiple commodities and regions including Australia, Europe, West Africa and Singapore.