Melinda French Gates

Melinda French Gates founded Pivotal Ventures in 2015 to accelerate progress and advance women's power and influence in the U.S. and worldwide. She is the former co-chair and trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private foundation in the world. Before her philanthropic work, Melinda distinguished herself in business as a leader in developing many of Microsoft's multimedia products. She retired as Microsoft's General Manager of Information Products in 1996. Gates is a former member of the board of trustees of Duke University and is a former co-chair of the Washington State Governor's Commission on Early Learning. 2005 Time magazine named her one of their Persons of the Year. In 2006, she received the Spanish Prince of Asturias Award and the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle for worldwide philanthropy. In 2009, Cambridge University (U.K.) awarded her an honorary degree.