CorpComms Magazine

Imagine being given the chance to play a role in combating world poverty? Or to assist in the global eradication of polio, a crippling disease that still affects about 1,000 people every year, in what will be only the third time in history that a disease has been completely wiped out? Or even just to work closely with the man who was once the world's richest, briefly even a centibillionaire, who has opted to give up corporate life to donate most of his wealth to good causes?

Kate James jumped at the opportunity, which is hardly surprising because just months before she was offered the role as chief communications officer at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the 41 year old had already told friends that working for the philanthropic organisation would be her dream job.

And sometimes events conspire to make dreams come true. Just as the former senior vice president for global corporate communications at Citibank in Manhattan was mulling the offer, her husband was also contacted out of the blue about a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity in Seattle, home to the Foundation.

'When you get a call saying Come and meet Bill and Melinda, it's pretty hard to say No,' says James. And, as she knew, meeting them in person would make it even harder to turn down the opportunity to work for what is, arguably, the world's most powerful charitable organisation, dispensing about $1.5 billion every year to good causes.

But come on, Seattle? Didn't moving to the home of Frasier, Starbucks coffee and the recently restored Hat 'n' Boots (a roadside attraction billed as the largest hat and cowboy boots in America) give her some pause for thought? It seems not. Location was not really a consideration - 'we've juggled two careers and managed quite long distance relationships,' she says of her husband - and Seattle without the Gates would be like, well, Hat without Boots.

Family matters

'It is a family foundation,' she explains. 'And Bill and Melinda have very strong roots in the Pacific Northwest.' Donations have been made to local museums and organisations, such as the YMCA, and to help educate local young people. 'There is a strong feeling that we are part of the Seattle and Pacific Northwest family,' she adds. 'And Seattle is a great global hub.'

James, a former researcher at the House of Commons, began her career in communications in the pharmaceutical division of GlaxoSmithKline. She was vice president of international external relations when, in 2004, she was lured to the newly created role of group head of government relations and corporate social responsibility at Standard Chartered, the international banking group headquartered in London.

On the face of it, government relations is not a natural bedfellow with CSR but James soon saw the opportunities. With CSR as its foundations, she began to articulate Standard Chartered's approach to sustainability, recognising that a bank operating within some of the world's less advantaged countries had a responsibility that went far beyond the provision of financial services.

It had a responsibility to the local communities in which its staff and customers lived. Sustainability was not just about recycling paper or turning off lights. It was about helping to tackle local issues that affected its stakeholders. It was about many of the things that the Gates Foundation does today but with scaled down funding. The role taught James two key things: board level support, particularly from the chief executive, is necessary to effect change within organisations, and the importance of government relations.

'It was a very interesting opportunity,' she says of Standard Chartered. 'It was an opportunity to build a function and take a corporate approach to CSR. It offered us a chance to differentiate Standard Chartered within the markets it operated in and to successfully find solutions for local issues.' Those might be a purely private sector solution or a broader approach, involving local governments, non-government organisations or charities. 'We were uniquely positioned,' she adds.

The power of Gates

The Gates Foundation is also in a unique position. 'We are high profile and create lots of attention. We can try to use our voice to be heard,' says James. And it's a very powerful voice. In the first week of April, for example, Gates had a telephone conversation with Pakistan's president Asif Zardari, visited India to see the Foundation's funds in action, met Germany's development minister Dirk Niebel, European Commission president José Barroso and French president Nicolas Sarkozy, made a presentation to MEPs in Strasbourg and took to the streets of Paris to sign works of graffiti as part of a publicity stunt to launch 'Living Proof'.

Gates, with James as his right hand woman, is gaining levels of access to which some political leaders can only aspire. In part, this must be due to the sums involved. The Foundation has dispersed $24.5 billion since its inception in 1994, including $2.6 billion last year. And the Foundation's spending power has been boosted since billionaire investor Warren Buffett initiated an annual bequest in 2006, which at the time was worth $31 billion.

It is hardly surprising to find that, against a backdrop of rapid growth and the constant need to put the money to work, the communications structure might be somewhat creaky. One of James' first actions is to create a framework that, ten years from now, will still be appropriate. 'We are still a young organisation, and we have grown exponentially,' she explains. The Foundation is organised around three main programmes, each with a specific focus. 'They each require different communication strategies,' says James. 'There is an opportunity to bring in international talent and to build up our capabilities.'

In some countries there may be the need to promote the Foundation's work to remote communities; in others, there is the chance to engage with young people through a digital platform. There is also the challenge of dealing with the world's media, and understanding local nuances.

On her appointment, James said: 'The Gates Foundation recognises that communications and advocacy are critical for building support for its work on the ground and bringing innovative solutions to those who need them most.'

Solutions not money

The Gates name may open the door, but it will often be an appropriate and well thought out communications strategy that creates a framework that can turn dreams into reality. And, as the Foundation's Guiding Principles make clear - 'philanthropy plays an important but limited role' - it is not just about throwing money at a problem and hoping that is the solution.

It is about approaching the problem thoughtfully and working out the appropriate solution. For example, two billion people in the developing world are malnourished; one solution is to help small farmers to grow nutritionally enhanced staple crops, such as sweet potato and rice.

'We are working with non-governmental organisations, governments and other organisations behind the scenes,' says James. 'A lot of our projects will only work if we have multiple partners to support them. We have a role to play to ensure that success is not delayed.'

The Foundation is also keen to promote its successes, not in a boastful way but as a way to persuade other governments, communities, organisations to get involved. Its 'Living Proof' campaign shows how investing in global health achieves real demonstrable results. And, perhaps indicative of the businessman behind the Foundation, progress reports on each project are also produced annually.

All communicators say their role is 24/7, but when James makes this claim, it is hard to doubt her. Every hour of her day is accounted for. It is a high-pressure job with major stakes at play. Doesn't she ever wish for a quieter life? It seems not. 'Even to be able to make a small contribution to help save lives is an amazing opportunity,' she says. 'And to play a part in eradicating disease or reducing the incidence of mortality in children under the age of five... how often do you get that chance?'

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