Samantha Bolton

Samantha Bolton is a Geneva based Communication and Advocacy Advisor with 20 years working on health and emerging markets with the public and private sectors. Strategy and roll out includes advocacy for biotech startups on medical cannabis and for fintechs on emerging market access. For WHO Samantha was responsible for the launch of the global "3 by 5" HIV treatment program and for setting WHO HIV communication and partnership strategy around treatment scale up, prequalification and tiered pricing. Prior to WHO, first as Spokespersons for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Africa during the Great Lakes Crisis and Sudan Famine, then US Communications Director, then MSF Global Campaigns Director, Samantha organised the launch of the Access to Essential Medicines campaign which successfully mobilised partners, governments and activists first around South Africa, then globally, to lower the price of ARVs for people living with HIV, from US $10,000 per patient per year, to under US $1.00 per patient per day. Samantha began as journalist for BBC World Service and Reuters Television, speaks fluent English, French and Italian, loves the mountains and skiing, and holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.