PATH CEO announces global leadership changes

August 12, 2020 - PATH announced the creation of four new executive leadership positions that will support the global organization’s next strategy toward a more equitable organization and advance a sustainability agenda.

“Our next strategy will plot a course toward a more equitable, holistic, and agile PATH. I am optimistic about the future of our organization and confident in this executive team, who are trusted, respected leaders in PATH and who believe in a collective approach,” said Nikolaj Gilbert, President and CEO of PATH.

The four new Executive Team positions are as follows:

Chief of the Africa Region – Nanthalile Mugala, MD, MMed

The position of Chief of the Africa Region, to be filled by Dr. Nanthalile Mugala, will lead a newly created Africa Region Division. This new executive role, effective October 1, 2020, provides strategic leadership and guidance, overseeing program activities in the region. This is a demonstration of an intentional shift in power to leaders who will advance locally designed solutions for the communities PATH serves, always in alignment with national partners and national plans.

Dr. Mugala is one of PATH’s longest-tenured country directors, leading the Zambia program since 2014. The former President of Zambia’s National Pediatric Association, she has more than 20 years of experience leading and implementing programs and services related to HIV; TB; malaria; maternal, newborn and, child health; and nutrition. She has contributed to research that has resulted in key policy and strategy change and is a member of various national technical and advisory committees and boards.

Chief of Asia/Middle East/Europe (AMEE) Region – to be hired

All country programs in Asia and Europe will become part of the Asia/Middle East/Europe (AMEE) Region, to be led by a Chief of the Asia/Middle East/Europe (AMEE) Region. This role is similar to the Chief of the Africa Region and PATH will be filling this position in the near future. Recruitment for this position will begin in the coming weeks.

David Fleming, MD, VP of Global Health Programs, who currently leads the organization’s public health and country programs, is stepping into a new role, Senior Vice President of Public Health, to make room for regional leadership positions at the executive level.

“Our next step toward equity is to elevate country leadership to our Executive Team and to no longer have our non-US programs represented by a Seattle-based leader,” said Dr. Fleming. In this new role, Dr. Fleming will serve as Chief Medical Officer and Public Health Officer for the organization.

The creation of these two new regional divisions will provide PATH with the scale and flexibility necessary to align resources to better respond to global trends and critical events.

Chief of Business and Financial Operations – Philippe Guinot

PATH’s Operations and Finance divisions will merge into a single new division focused on optimizing global business activities and revenue generation and will be led by the Chief of Business and Financial Operations, a new position to be filled by Philippe Guinot, effective October 1, 2020. This move is designed to create greater alignment around revenue generation and donor partnerships.

Mr. Guinot has been with PATH for over seven years, as Country Director for Francophone Africa, Director of the Geneva office, and most recently as Senior Director of Country Programs, managing PATH’s country programs and overseeing the development of country and regional business pipelines. Mr. Guinot has over 27 years of successful experience in both the private and not-for-profit sectors. He brings both deep expertise in country programming and a broad understanding of portfolio management, risk management, and strategic business planning to this role.

Chief of External Affairs – Carla Costa Sandine

To oversee institutional marketing and communications, advocacy and public policy, and philanthropy, and to co-lead PATH’s institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative, Carla Costa Sandine has been promoted to Chief of External Affairs, a new position leading the External Affairs division. Ms. Sandine’s promotion was effective on August 1, 2020.

Ms. Sandine has been with PATH for nearly four years as PATH’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer overseeing the global organization's brand, marketing, and strategic communications and leading several initiatives focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She brings more than 15 years of experience in marketing and sales, communications, and business management across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors, largely in public health, health care, human rights, education, and political campaigns.

Ms. Sandine succeeds Elaine Gibbons, Vice President of Global Engagement and Communications, who will transition into a short-term role as PATH’s Vice President of Strategic Affairs to support the development of PATH’s next strategy, the institutional response to the evolving COVID-19 landscape, and PATH’s ongoing equity agenda.

Mr. Gilbert remarked, “The newest members of this team were chosen not just because they have deep expertise in their functional areas, but because they know PATH deeply, are trusted across our global organization and by our partners, and have shown a commitment to driving innovation in how we work. As a new CEO, leading our organization through an unprecedented time, I need their institutional knowledge, experience, and established relationships to help guide us forward collectively.”

General Counsel – Sabrina Powers

In April, Mr. Gilbert named Sabrina Powers, JD, as PATH’s new General Counsel. Ms. Powers has been with PATH for almost five years as senior counsel for a diverse portfolio of programs. She brings over 20 years of experience in corporate transactional and intellectual property legal roles including with Microsoft, VMware, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and she has served in leadership roles on the Board of Directors for the Committee for Children for the last nine years.

Mr. Gilbert became PATH President and CEO in January 2020, succeeding Steve Davis. He joined PATH from the United Nations’ operational arm, UNOPS, and he brings to the organization multisector experience spanning innovation, health, peace-building, humanitarian aid, and development solutions.