Coming Soon: A Candid Conversation with Melinda French Gates at Wits

Join Melinda French Gates for a candid conversation about her extraordinary life and globally recognised philanthropic work on Saturday, 8 November 2025.

In a wide-ranging interview, Melinda reflects on her 25 years in philanthropy, her journey as an advocate for women and girls, and her recent decision to leave the foundation she co-founded to start a consequential new chapter in her work on behalf of women and families.

Melinda French Gates | What's on in Joburg

Melinda French Gates reflects on her past, present and future

Melinda will also discuss her new book, The Next Day, in which she writes about some of the most significant transitions in her life, including becoming a parent, losing a close friend to cancer, and ending her marriage. Through these stories, she explores universal lessons about friendship, motherhood, embracing uncertainty, and rejecting perfectionism.

“You don’t get to be my age without navigating all kinds of transitions. Some you embraced and some you never expected. Some you hoped for and some you fought as hard as you could,” Melinda shares.

This is a special chance to get to know a different side of the influential global philanthropist as she offers a rare window into the people, ideas, and experiences that have made her who she is.

Cost: R250 to R550pp, book via Webtickets

When: Saturday, 8 November 2025 from 3pm
Where: Wits Great Hall, Jorissen Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg

he Next Day by Melinda French Gates | What's on in Joburg

More about Melinda

Melinda French Gates is a philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls.

For over 25 years, Melinda has led efforts to unlock a healthier, more prosperous, more equal future. Today, she heads Pivotal, an organisation she formed in 2015 that works to accelerate the pace of progress and advance women’s power and influence in the U.S. and around the world.

Previously, she founded and co-chaired the Gates Foundation, where, for more than two decades, she set the direction and priorities of the world’s largest philanthropy. Melinda is also the author of the bestselling book The Moment of Lift and the creator of Moment of Lift Books, an imprint publishing original nonfiction by visionaries working to unlock a more equal world.

Website: melindafrenchgates.com
Facebook: @melindagates
Instagram: @melindafrenchgates