Simon is currently the CEO of the newly formed Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) in Abu Dhabi, more information at https://glideae.orgBefore joining GLIDE, Simon was the UNAIDS Director in New York between 2013 and 2019. Prior to joining UNAIDS, Simon was a senior civil servant in the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and, most recently, headed their Global Funds Department. In this role he was responsible for the United Kingdom’s policies, programmes, financial management and shareholder relations with Global Funds and Innovative Finance in health and education. He represented the United Kingdom on the Boards of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, GAVI, UNITAID and the Global Partnership for Education. From September 2011 to June 2013, Simon was Chair of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and oversaw a substantial transformation culminating with the introduction of its new funding model and strengthened partnership approach. Simon’s early background was in marine sciences and natural resources management, later branching out into development economics and management. He has spent most of the last thirty years working in developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. He has led DFID country programmes in Russia, Ukraine, Kenya and Somalia before moving to Geneva to work on global health, education and humanitarian affairs.Simon was made a Commander of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2013 for service to Global Health.