Dear Friends, Colleagues, Funders and Stakeholders,
Twenty-five years ago, I founded Aurum Health Research, a wholly owned subsidiary company of AngloGold Ashanti, that evolved under my leadership into The Aurum Institute, the formidable, independent, and sustainable proudly African, global health impact organisation, that we know today.
With the agreement of the Aurum Institute Board, I am planning to retire as Group CEO at the end of 2024 to pursue the next phase of my career.
The Aurum Institute has a vision of creating a healthier world for future generations. The search for and transition to a new Group CEO from 2025 comes at a very exciting time in our journey towards our aspirational vision of becoming a 100-year-old organisation. Nelson Mandela’s words capture the essence of what the Board will be looking for in our new Group CEO, that is, someone with, “a good head and a good heart, always a formidable combination”. The incoming Group CEO will be supported by a committed, competent executive team. I am confident that the executive team will help build on the strong foundation established over the past 25 years and lead the organisation into its new chapter and growth trajectory, under the energy and leadership of the new Group CEO. After I retire as the Group CEO, I will assume the role of President Emeritus, to provide support to the new Group CEO and to continue the many projects that I am involved with.
The Board has appointed a global executive search firm to oversee a thorough and orderly recruitment process during 2024 to seek suitable potential candidates to lead this unique organisation.
During the period between now and the end of 2024, I will remain steadfastly at the helm of the Aurum Institute with the full support of the Board and the executive team. We must maintain resolve, direction and focus in our pursuit of evidence to influence policy and programs and to convert policy into practice to make a difference in the lives of the communities in which we serve. I know we can do this, because as I reflect on our journey over the past 25 years I see with great pride the diverse, locally led but globally influential organisation that Aurum has become – our Aurum.
Yours sincerely.
Prof Gavin Churchyard
Group CEO: Aurum Institute
MBBCh (WITS), MMed (WITS), FCP (SA), FRCP (Edin), PhD (WITS)
