As many of you know, Unitus co-founder and CEO Geoff Davis has been on a brief leave of absence due to a health matter that’s been lingering for some time. We are happy to report that Geoff is on the mend, and is expected to make a complete recovery, but his doctor recommends an extended medical leave to concentrate on his recuperation.
Unitus has very aggressive goals in 2008 in the fight against poverty—thus, while we’re sad to have Geoff away, both Geoff and the Unitus board have determined that we must fill the vacant CEO position rather than leave the organization in transition. Ed Bland (our COO since August 2007) has been promoted to President and will lead Unitus over the coming months. Many of you have met Ed and know he’s an experienced leader and consummate business professional, with experience across a broad range of industries and product categories. Ed is focused on continuing to strengthen the Unitus organization and to ensure we are delivering value, results, and impact to our microfinance partners, the industry, and communities around the globe.
Geoff will remain involved as a founder and board member, and will return to Unitus once he’s fully recovered. We’ll keep you posted on our progress, and look forward to seeing and hearing from you all in the coming weeks and months.