Patrick Gaspard has announced his decision to step down as president of Open Society Foundations at the end of the year. During his three-year tenure, he confronted significant threats to open societies around the globe, including the rise of authoritarian regimes and the spread of the COVID-19 virus worldwide.
Succeeding him as president will be Mark Malloch-Brown, the former UN deputy secretary‐general and UK minister, who currently serves on the Foundations’ Global Board. Malloch-Brown will take over effective January 1. Patrick Gaspard brought to Open Society a wealth of experience both inside and outside government. He was previously the U.S. ambassador to South Africa from 2013 to 2016 under President Barack Obama. Prior to that, he was the executive director of the Democratic National Committee from 2011 to 2013, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Political Affairs from 2009 to 2011, and the national political director for Obama’s 2008 election campaign. Gaspard also was the executive vice president and political director for the Service Employees International Union, one of the largest U.S. unions.
Malloch-Brown, who will succeed Gaspard as president, brings to Open Society extensive international leadership experience in government, NGOs, philanthropy, and business. He served as UN deputy secretary‐general and chief of staff under Kofi Annan. Previously, he was administrator of the UN Development Program. He covered Africa and Asia as minister of state in the UK’s Foreign Office during Gordon Brown’s premiership. His other positions have included being a World Bank vice president. He began his career as a journalist at The Economist.