Malaria Consortium appoints Dr James Tibenderana as new Chief Executive

Malaria Consortium’s Board of Trustees is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr James Kananura Tibenderana as its new Chief Executive who will succeed Malaria Consortium’s current Chief Executive Charles Nelson when he steps down in October.

Dr James Tibenderana is a malaria expert with over 20 years of experience in the fields of epidemiology, infectious and tropical diseases, shaping policy and health system strengthening, and is currently the organisation’s Global Technical Director.

Commenting on the appointment, Malaria Consortium Chair Professor Marcel Tanner said: “James is an outstanding leader in the field of global public health and in malaria in particular. He has an exceptional understanding of the impact of disease burden and the complex, integrated solutions tailored to a given setting required to reduce that burden, especially for underserved communities. He is deeply committed to the elimination of malaria and making meaningful progress towards the goal of universal health coverage. His long-standing, well-respected relationships as well as his commitment to capacity building across sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia are testament to this.”

On being offered the role, Dr Tibenderana said: “I am honoured to take up this role and work with the Board and staff worldwide to lead Malaria Consortium on the next stage of its journey. It will be a privilege to succeed Charles Nelson and build upon the outstanding growth and impact that has been achieved under his leadership of the last 10 years.” 

Dr Tibenderana trained as a medical doctor at Makerere University, Kampala and as an epidemiologist at the Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine before joining Malaria Consortium in 2005 as Africa Technical Director, where he played a key role in shaping the organisation’s technical strategy alongside the conceptualisation and design of interventions. Following this, Dr Tibenderana took up the role of Development Director, where he had oversight of Malaria Consortium’s global business development, diversifying funding and partnerships across Africa and Asia.

“James will lead Malaria Consortium’s talented team through its next exciting strategy period and his experience and vision will, we have no doubt, inspire and drive impact”, added Marcel Tanner. 

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