PATH names Steve Davis as new president and CEO

Contact:
Amy MacIver, 206.302.4522, amaciver@path.org.

Seattle, March 26, 2012—PATH announced today that Steve Davis has been appointed president and CEO. Mr. Davis brings leadership experience in numerous innovation-focused organizations, both nonprofit and for-profit, and has worked extensively in emerging economies throughout his career. He comes to PATH most recently from McKinsey & Company, where he was global director of social innovation. He will join PATH on June 11 and be based at PATH’s Seattle headquarters.

“We are delighted to have Steve bring his extensive global health and development expertise and insight to PATH,” said Dr. Molly Joel Coye, chair of PATH’s board of directors. “Steve brings a history with PATH as a previous board member and is a proven innovator and versatile leader with a longstanding commitment to social change. His deep knowledge of health needs in the developing world and impressive accomplishments in creating solutions tailored for the communities where PATH works immediately stood out among our extraordinarily high-caliber pool of applicants.”

Dr. Coye noted that in addition to a distinguished business career that demonstrates strength across both strategic and operational dimensions, Mr. Davis has committed a significant portion of his career to the social sector, most recently with many of the largest nongovernmental, multilateral, and philanthropic organizations in global health and development. These experiences have provided Mr. Davis with a deep understanding of the dynamics of the global development sphere and a strong foundation in the challenges for leadership in innovation, research and development, and advocacy.

As director of social innovation at McKinsey, Mr. Davis led a global team that consults across the spectrum of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and the private sector, with a focus on global health and development, research and development, and Asia and Africa. Previously, Mr. Davis was a long-term CEO of Corbis, a global digital media leader, and served as interim CEO of the Infectious Disease Research Institute, a nonprofit biotech working on vaccines, diagnostics, and drug discovery for infectious diseases of poverty. His previous experiences also include serving as interim director of PATH’s India program, practicing law with K&L Gates, and working on refugee and human rights issues. Mr. Davis earned his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, his master’s degree from the University of Washington, and his juris doctor from Columbia University.

Mr. Davis has a prominent record over many years of business leadership and community service in the Seattle area. He currently serves as chair of the board of trustees for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, as a member of the boards of The Seattle Foundation and Global Partnerships, and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He also is a senior fellow at the University of Washington School of Law, and has previously served on numerous other nonprofit and for-profit boards, including Crucell, a global biopharmaceutical company.

“I have long admired PATH for its spirit of innovation and its tremendous strides in addressing inequities and saving lives around the world,” said Mr. Davis. “My work always has been fueled by a passion for creating genuine social impact with leading-edge innovations, and I am honored to join such a prominent and effective organization, to continue PATH’s powerful work in global health, and to advance the delivery of sustainable impact.”

Dr. Coye added, “As the development sector evolves in today’s shifting geopolitical landscape, we must anticipate significant change in the way that governments, NGOs, and private-sector organizations operate. PATH’s board of directors believes that Steve’s experience, leadership, and strategic vision will continue the organization’s long tradition of collaboration in achieving advances in global health.”

Under Mr. Davis’s leadership, PATH will continue to develop innovative health solutions that have a deep impact on communities in the developing world. PATH applies its entrepreneurial spirit and evidence-based approaches to tackle seemingly intractable global health challenges and ensure sustainable results. The organization has reached an estimated 45 million direct and indirect beneficiaries in the past year with an affordable meningitis vaccine, improved screening and treatment for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, affordable filters for safe drinking water, and other low-cost, high-impact solutions.

Mr. Davis will oversee an annual budget of $305 million, a staff of nearly 1,200, and a robust portfolio of projects based in PATH offices in 22 countries. Mr. Davis succeeds former president and CEO Dr. Christopher J. Elias, who led PATH through significant growth for ten years and positioned the organization as an effective leader in global health. Dr. Elias left PATH in January to become president of the Global Development Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.