Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates.Photo: Kamil Zihnioglu/AFP/Getty
Bill GatesandMelinda French Gateshave said they will remain a united front at work in the wake of their split, but the former couple’s foundation is planning ahead in case things become less amicable.
“They have repeatedly made clear their joint commitment and expectation to remain long-term partners and co-chairs,” Suzman wrote. “However, as an additional step, they have agreed that if after two years either one of them decides that they cannot continue to work together, Melinda will resign as co-chair and trustee. In such a case, Melinda would receive personal resources from Bill for her philanthropic work. These resources would be completely separate from the foundation’s endowment, which would not be affected.”
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Uponannouncing their surprise divorce to the worldon May 3, Bill, 65, and Melinda, 56, said they would continue to work together at the foundation they started in 2000, despite feeling like they “no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”
Suzman said that in the time since their split, he, Bill and Melinda have been “exploring potential changes to the foundation’s governance and decision-making.”
Among those changes are the former couple’s two-year agreement, as well as the decision to expand the number of trustees, as they are currently the only two following theresignation of Warren Buffettlast month.
Bill and Melinda also plan to contribute an additional $15 million to the foundation’s endowment, which will bring its total endowment to about $65 billion, Suzman said.
Melinda and Bill Gates.Frederic Stevens/Getty
He also praised both Bill and Melinda, writing that they have been “true to their word and remained fully engaged in all aspects of the foundation’s work” since their split, and remain “excited and optimistic” about its future.
In a statement, Melinda said she was “deeply proud” of the foundation’s accomplishments over the last 20 years, and that she remains “fully committed as co-chair to its work.”
“Our vision for the foundation has grown over time, but it has always been focused on addressing inequity and expanding opportunity for the world’s poorest people,” Bill said in a statement of his own. “These new resources and the evolution of the foundation’s governance will sustain this ambitious mission and vital work for years to come.”
The Gateses announced their divorce in early May after 27 years of marriage and three children. In the months since,The New York Timesreported that Bill had previously"developed a reputation for questionable conduct"in workplace settings, and for having made advances on colleagues — behavior he denied. His associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were also widely reported.
“It is extremely disappointing that there have been so many untruths published about the cause, the circumstances and the timeline of Bill Gates’s divorce,” a spokesperson for Bill previously told PEOPLE in a statement. “[TheNew York Times’s] characterization of his meetings with Epstein and others about philanthropy is inaccurate, including who participated. Similarly, any claim that Gates spoke of his marriage or Melinda in a disparaging manner is false. The claim of mistreatment of employees is also false. The rumors and speculation surrounding Gates’s divorce are becoming increasingly absurd, and it’s unfortunate that people who have little to no knowledge of the situation are being characterized as ‘sources.'”
source: people.com
