IFFIm governance
The GAVI Secretariat provides support to two independent boards of directors: the IFFIm Board and the GAVI Fund Affiliate Board, which act on behalf of the two entities created to make IFFIm operational. The IFFIm Board is responsible for the management of the International Finance Facility for Immunisation Company (IFFIm), registered as a UK Charity with number 1115413.
Current IFFIm Board membership
Alan R. Gillespie, CBE (Chair)
United Kingdom
Member since January 2006
Dr Alan R Gillespie CBE, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, has
had a broad international career both in the private and public sectors.
He is currently Chair of the International Finance Facility for Immunisation
(IFFIm), a multilateral development institution backed by France,
Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the
United Kingdom.
IFFIm was set up in 2005 to support the work of the GAVI Alliance to accelerate child immunisation in the world’s poorest countries. With his background in both banking and development, Dr Gillespie has been instrumental in introducing IFFIm’s innovative fundraising approach and raising more than $2.3 billion on the world’s capital markets for GAVI immunisation programmes.
Dr Gillespie began his career at Citigroup/Citibank in London and Geneva. He joined Goldman Sachs in 1986 in New York and was a Partner and Managing Director in London from 1990-1999. He served as Chair of the Ulster Bank Group from 2001-2008.
Dr Gillespie has also served in a number of public sector roles. These include Chief Executive Director of the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) Group plc London; Chairman of the Northern Ireland Industrial Development Board; President of the Association of EU Development Finance Institutions and Chairman of the University Challenge Venture Capital Fund. In 2009, he was appointed Chairman of the United Kingdom’s Economic and Social Research Council.
Dr Gillespie received his B.A., M.A. and PhD from the University of Cambridge and is an Honorary Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge.
John Cummins
Dayanath Chandrajith Jayasuriya
Arunma Oteh
Management and activities
IFFIm is managed by its board of directors, and has no employees. IFFIm has outsourced its principal activities to two organisations: all administrative support functions are provided by GAVI and all treasury functions and related accounting services are provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (or the World Bank), in its capacity as IFFIm’s Treasury Manager. GAVI is responsible for the operational activities related to the immunisation, health systems strengthening and vaccine procurement programmes for which IFFIm provides funding.
Board activities include:
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Reviewing GAVI immunisation programme funding requests and ensuring proper disbursement of funds
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Mandating the World Bank as Treasury Manager to arrange borrowing transactions to fund immunisation programmes
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Monitoring IFFIm’s investment portfolio and liquidity
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Reviewing and approving IFFIm’s annual report of the trustees and financial statements
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Overseeing IFFIm’s governance and policies
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Assessing IFFIm’s efficacy as an innovative financing mechanism supporting international development.
