PATH welcomes new CEO Nikolaj Gilbert

January 6, 2020 by PATH

He brings multisector international development experience to a vibrant and growing organization with global reach and impact.

Incoming PATH president and CEO Nikolaj Gilbert meets with staff in the Seattle office. Photo: PATH/Tom Furtwangler.

Incoming PATH president and CEO Nikolaj Gilbert meets with staff in the Seattle office. Photo: PATH/Tom Furtwangler.

On January 6th Nikolaj Gilbert joined PATH as President and Chief Executive Officer. Nikolaj is also serving as Managing Director and CEO of Foundation for Appropriate Technologies in Health (FATH), a PATH-controlled Swiss subsidiary. As PATH’s fifth chief executive, Nikolaj succeeds Steve Davis, who has led PATH through significant growth and evolution for more than seven years, expanding PATH’s global efforts to accelerate health equity through innovation and partnerships.

Nikolaj comes to PATH from his post as Global Partnerships Director for the United Nations Office of Project Services. His extensive experience in both the public and private sectors—and his proven ability to bring those sectors together—will bolster the signature partnerships that PATH forges to solve the world’s most pressing health challenges.

Nikolaj brings to PATH multisector experience spanning innovation, health, peacebuilding, humanitarian aid, and development solutions. He also brings a deep understanding of the broader development ecosystem and of health inequity’s underlying causes—from those rooted in global systems and markets to those at the local, in-country level.

In his first global conference call with all PATH staff, Nikolaj expressed his enthusiasm for his new role. “It is an honor to join this incredible organization," he said. "I believe strongly in PATH’s core mission, and in the ability of its people to achieve that mission. Everyone I’ve met here has been so dedicated, so knowledgeable, and so passionate. There is no challenge too big or too complex for this team. I cannot wait to help further our impact and help move humanity forward.”

Nikolaj Gilbert visits the product development shop in Seattle and discusses PATH’s history of product innovation with shop manager Mike Eisenstein. Photo: PATH/Dave Simpson.

Nikolaj Gilbert visits the product development shop in Seattle and discusses PATH’s history of product innovation with shop manager Mike Eisenstein. Photo: PATH/Dave Simpson.