Health Leaders' Voices - Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway: How to Fight A Global Pandemic

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Anne Aslett has led the Elton John AIDS Foundation for over 13 years, first as Executive Director of the UK Foundation and subsequently as Chief Executive Officer of global operations, a position she has held since 2018. With over 25 years in philanthropy and development, Anne established the Foundation’s programmatic strategy, overseeing the disbursement of more than 1,500 programmes in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe and leveraging a further $300m from philanthropists, bilateral and multilateral institutions, and trusts and foundations to support this work. The Foundation is today the 6th largest AIDS funder globally; has saved the lives of over 5m of the most marginalised people in the world and raised awareness of HIV amongst more than 100m people.

In recent years Anne has worked closely with the Foundation’s Founder and Chairman to dramatically expand the charity’s advocacy role in global health to help realise UN Sustainable Development Goal 3.3; implement human rights legislation and change national policy to prioritise vulnerable groups. This work has helped secure significant commitments from national governments to the fight against AIDS, particularly through the Global Fund for AIDS, TB & Malaria and US government’s PEPFAR mechanisms. She has pioneered new partnerships including a $25m fund with Gilead Sciences to address HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe & Central Asia; the $1.2bn MenStar Coalition prioritising mens’ access to HIV testing, treatment and care across Sub Saharan Africa, and the world’s first Social Impact Bond for HIV in the UK in partnership with the National Health Service.

Anne developed a series of high profile media and merchandising efforts to raise funds for and challenge discrimination of HIV/AIDS, including an international social media collaboration with artist Ai Wei Wei (Love Is In My Blood) and a clothing range (Love Bravery) with Lady Gaga which was sold nationwide in the U.S.

Anne joined the Foundation from the commercial sector, where she managed a news information service for the UK leading print and electronic media, following over 5 years in print journalism and documentary film making on health and current affairs issues. She has served on a number of boards including for Comic Relief, the European Funders Group and most recently the UK’s independent HIV Commission.