Founder and Managing Director of the Fortitude Fund Amy Herskovitz and Vice President for Philanthropy and Social Impact at BDT & Company Anne Lebleu Bring Social Impact Expertise to I-MAK
NEW YORK – Today, the Initiative for Medicines Access & Knowledge (I-MAK) welcomed Amy Herskovitz, Founder and Managing Director of the Fortitude Fund, and Anne Lebleu, Vice President for Philanthropy and Social Impact at BDT & Company, to its Board of Directors. Both are prominent social change agents who bring with them decades of experience developing philanthropic programs and a profound commitment to health equity for all people. I-MAK is a non-profit team of lawyers, scientists, and health experts working on behalf of the public interest to drive down drug prices through intervention in the patent system.
“We look forward to working with Amy and Anne to amplify our impact, especially with communities most affected by sky-rocketing drug prices,” said Priti Krishtel, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of I-MAK. “Their passion for social change is unmatched. We are thrilled to have them join us in our work to expand the base of support for our global programs.”
Herskovitz has devoted her career to empowering organizations to disrupt entrenched systems that perpetuate social injustice and poverty. As the founding director of The Pershing Square Foundation, she played a key role in bringing the Trustees’ vision of Social Entrepreneurship to life as a core piece of the foundation’s work. As I-MAK rapidly scales operations to amplify its impact, Herskovitz joins the Board to support the organization’s efforts to scale-up to serve more communities and increase equity in health.
Lebleu is a fellow social impact leader, with over a decade of experience in the social sector and nearly two decades of working alongside ultra-high net worth individuals to accomplish their philanthropic visions. Prior to BDT, Lebleu was Senior Director at Arabella Advisors, where she launched creative social impact solutions across a broad range of work, including multiple private foundations and a venture capital fund focused on safer chemistry, all while serving as her clients’ chief strategist and program officer. Lebleu brings to the Board her expertise in philanthropy to help elevate I-MAK towards amplifying its impact and ensuring equitable and affordable healthcare.
“Both of these women are leaders in equity, justice, and catalytic change,” said Tahir Amin, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of I-MAK. “As we continue to investigate the role of patents in rising drug prices and activate new partners on the ground in the U.S. and worldwide, their guidance and track record for breaking new ground will be invaluable.”
ABOUT I-MAK
Since 2006, I-MAK has been working to increase access to medicines around the world. I-MAK’s legal work and research spans 49 countries, eight diseases and 20 therapies. I-MAK’s wins on high-impact cases on HIV drugs has saved health programs worldwide over $1 billion. In order to stay independent and exclusively represent the interests of patients and consumers, I-MAK does not accept funding from branded or generic pharmaceutical companies. Click here for more on I-MAK’s impact around the world.