The Global Fund has completed 89% of the reforms listed in the Consolidated Transformation Plan, and the remaining action items related to the Secretariat are in process, according to former Fund General Manager Gabriel Jaramillo.

Mr Jaramillo made this statement in a letter which he sent to a number of people on 18 January, his last day at the Global Fund. (Mark Dybul started his term as Executive Director on 21 January.) In the letter, Mr Jaramillo described the accomplishments of the Global Fund during the year that he served as General Manager.

“We re-organized the Secretariat, designed a new business model, selected a new Executive Director and positioned the Global Fund to raise an ambitious level of financing in 2013,” Mr Jaramillo said.

In his letter, Mr Jaramillo said that 75% of staff now works in grant management and related areas, up from less than 50% a year ago.

“The introduction of world-class business practices has produced, among other achievements, a more nimble human-resources system, with a greatly streamlined personnel manual,” Mr Jaramillo said.

Other accomplishments mentioned by Mr Jaramillo included reforms to the voluntary pooled procurement mechanism, and the introduction of strategic investment guidance that will improve value-for-money in the Fund’s portfolio.

“In addition,” Mr Jaramillo said, “we brought rigor to our model by working with partners to introduce three Disease Committees, and by allowing our technical partners to participate in our Grant Approval Committee.”

Finally, Mr Jaramillo said that collaboration in the field with the Global Fund’s major bilateral partners had improved, and that the results were already visible.

“As Dr Mark Dybul takes over,” Mr Jaramillo concluded, “he inherits a Global Fund that is in excellent shape. It is focused on impeccable grant management, and has put in place the structures to make the difficult strategic choices that produce the highest possible return-on-investment.”

In a separate letter dated 2 February, Board Chair Simon Bland commended Mr Jaramillo for having left the Global Fund in a much stronger position as a result of the reforms Mr Jaramillo implemented. Mr Bland said that the reforms had allowed the Global Fund to deliver more funds to people in need more quickly – with an increase in grant disbursements in 2012 of 26% compared to 2011 – while operating costs fell 10%. “Impeccable grant management was a clear feature of the direction you wanted to take the Fund,” Mr Bland said.