Geneva-based public-private partnership Gavi Alliance CEO Julian Lob-Levyt will step down in in October to take up a major role in the private sector after his leadership role in the last six years.
In November, Dr Lob-Levyt will take up his new role as managing director of DAI Europe and senior vice president of DAI, based in London.
Under his reign, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) established new and cost-effective approaches to the business of development and enabled many of the world's poorest countries to build their own strong platforms to reach 80 per cent of children with routine vaccination.
Since he joined GAVI in January 2005, the disbursements to developing countries have grown from US$ 200 million to around US$ 1 billion annually. Over the last decade, GAVI has reached 257 million children with routine immunisation, accelerated access to new vaccines and saved more than 5.4 million lives.
In 2008 Dr Lob-Levyt oversaw the public-private partnership's transition out of the UN system establishing it as an independent international organisation based in Switzerland. He also built a strong and respected team of senior managers enabling him to leave the GAVI Secretariat in capable hands until a new CEO is recruited.
Dr Lob-Levyt will continue as CEO until October to oversee GAVI's first Resource Mobilization Meeting on 6 October at which existing and potential donors will be asked to pledge additional funds to enable new vaccines against pneumococcal disease and rotavirus diarrhoea to be added to immunisation programmes.
The introduction of these two new vaccines into developing countries is expected to save 4.2 million lives by 2015 making a major contribution to the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals.
"The challenges we faced and the results we at GAVI have achieved together over the last few years inspired me to stay much longer than I ever intended," said Dr Lob-Levyt
"GAVI could not be in better shape to deliver its new five-year strategy, in spite of these challenging financial times," he added.
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry in both industrialized and developing countries, research and technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private philanthropists. GAVI support consists of providing life-saving vaccines and strengthening health systems. Since it was created in 2000, 257 million children have been vaccinated and 5.4 million premature deaths averted thanks to GAVI-funded programmes.