The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC) will bring together more than 330 business executives, policy makers, celebrities and international thought leaders for its annual conference on June 1-2 in New York.  The conference will address and explore key global health topics and identify new avenues for future business action on creating a healthier world.

GBC will also unveil the expansion its mandate during the conference.  Coupled with a name change to GBCHealth, the organization will now not only address infectious pandemic diseases but also the full range of global health challenges upon which the private sector can engage. These changes will allow GBCHealth to better serve its members and partners, and to stay in step with shifts in policies and strategies among donors, multilaterals and governments initiatives. President Obama's Global Health Initiative is one such example of the move away from models that focus on specific diseases in favor of more holistic approaches to funding and implementation.

“Given the important changes taking place across the global health landscape, our members will naturally and inevitably look to GBC for support that is aligned with this emerging reality,” said John E. Tedstrom, GBC President and CEO. “Where we go as GBCHealth will be a direct reflection of the needs and strategies of our members and partners, and will be informed by our unique vantage point at the nexus of business, government and society action on global health. “

This year’s conference brings together a distinguished group of senior leaders and participating speakers include:

• Richard Branson, Founder and Chairman, Virgin Group
• Gordon Brown, Former Prime Minister and Current Member of Parliament, United Kingdom
• Kenneth Cole, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Kenneth Cole Productions
• Mark Dybul,  Former U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator; Co-Director, O'Neil Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University
• Sarah Jessica Parker, Actress and UNICEF Ambassador
• Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS; Under Secretary-General, United Nations
• George Soros, Chairman, Soros Fund Management; Founder and Chairman, Open Society Foundations
• Ted Turner, Chairman, United Nations Foundation

In championing the essential and interesting roles that business, governments, multilaterals and civil society play in addressing global health challenges, this year’s conference will provide an electrifying forum for sharing ideas, unearthing possibilities and driving action. Plenary highlights include:

• Healthy Women Healthy Economies Special Panel: Men Who Make It Their Business to Improve Women’s Lives
• Entrepreneurship in the Social Context: Business Visionaries Who See the "Return" on Health Investments
• Human Sustainability: Why Health is the Anchor of CSR
• BRICS and Other Emerging Markets: Health Challenges and Opportunities in Today's Most Dynamic Economies
• The Role of the Private Sector in Addressing Non-Communicable Diseases
• The Public Imperative on Health: Engaging Consumers to Drive Real Social Change

For more information about GBC’s 10^th Anniversary Conference, please visit: www.gbcimpact.org/conference

About GBC
GBC represents over 200 private sector companies leading the business fight for improved global health. Through work that includes developing comprehensive workplace policies; supporting community programs; leveraging core competencies; facilitating leadership and advocacy by business leaders; and brokering public-private partnerships, GBC helps members achieve their global health goals. GBC also manages the private sector delegation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, serving as an entry-point for corporate collaboration and engagement with the Fund and its recipients worldwide. GBC has offices in New York, Johannesburg, Beijing, Nairobi and Moscow.  For more information on GBC, please visit www.gbcimpact.org.

Contact:

Dean Mudgett, Manager, Communications, GBC
212-584-1651 - office
802-272-8778 - mobile
dmudgett@gbcimpact.org