WHO appoints Indian-origin Anil Soni as CEO

Anil Soni, a public health expert of Indian origin, has been named as the first Chief Executive Officer of the recently founded World Health Organisation Foundation, which operates with the World Health Organisation to solve the most urgent health issues in the world.

Soni will assume his position as Chief Executive Officer of the WHO Foundation on 1 January next year. In his current position, Soni will intensify the work of the Foundation to engage in creative, evidence-based projects that benefit the WHO.

Mr Soni joins the Foundation from Viatris, a global healthcare company, where he served as Head of Global Infectious Diseases.

Lauding Soni, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyes said that he is a “proven innovator” in global health who has spent two decades serving populations afflicted by HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.

“He earned my trust when he and his team at the Clinton Health Access Initiative worked side-by-side with the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia to expand access to treatment and strengthen the management of our health centres”.

“After months of combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, there is hope for several successful vaccine candidates. Beyond this crucial step, the path to recovery necessitates expanded investment in the many health priorities that have been compromised in recent months-from drops in vaccine coverage and HIV treatment to delays in cancer treatment,” he added.

“From his work at Viatris where he has led the development and introduction of medicines to treat HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, to his leadership of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and his time at the Global Fund (to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria), he has demonstrated his ability to work across public, private, and nonprofit sectors and build successful new organisations from the ground up,” Mr Zeltner said.

The WHO Foundation said that Soni is a “seasoned global health expert” taking more than two decades of expertise through public, private and non-profit industries to improve access to healthcare in low-and middle-income countries.

“In addition to the advisory positions with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the MDG Wellness Partnership, Soni joins the WHO Foundation with a proven track record of mobilising support and campaigning for public health goals, as evidenced by its leadership of the WHO.

In the early years of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Soni served as Assistant to the Executive Director from 2002-2004 and then as Managing Executive Director of Friends of Global Fight from 2004-2005.