Smart Women, Smart Power: "Trust the Work, Trust Yourself"

Host: Dr. Kathleen McInnes
Guest: Gargi Ghosh, Director of Global Policy and Advocacy, Gates Foundation
Release Date: April 30, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Smart Women, Smart Power explores the groundbreaking global impact of the Gates Foundation through the personal and professional journey of Gargi Ghosh, who leads its Global Policy and Advocacy division. Host Dr. Kathleen McInnes and Ghosh discuss the intersection of economics, politics, and humanitarian work—reflecting on career-defining moments, global health challenges, and the power of trusting oneself to drive change. The conversation highlights both technical milestones and deeply personal motivations, offering insights into the evolving role and influence of women in global affairs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Gargi Ghosh’s Origin Story and Motivation

[01:17 – 05:58]

• Ghosh describes her upbringing as a child of Indian immigrants in Canada, frequently returning to India and experiencing starkly different realities firsthand.
• The idea of the "birth lottery"—the circumstances of one's birth shaping opportunity—became central to her perspective.
• Family stories of loss to preventable diseases in India, like tetanus and smallpox, fueled her commitment to addressing health inequity:
  • “My story intertwines with hers [her mother] ... Another sibling of hers was born in a preterm birth and didn't survive that. Now, having worked in global health, I have the language to talk about that differently. But it was really a story of undernutrition, access to healthcare, having the resources to support family through difficult times.” (Gargi Ghosh, [03:59])

Pivoting to International Development and the UN Experience

[05:58 – 11:31]

• After feeling that economics alone didn’t explain global outcomes, Ghosh pursued further studies in politics, realizing the importance of policy in development.
• She recounts working as an unpaid intern in Kofi Annan’s office at the UN in the late 1990s, describing Annan as “peak influential” and quietly powerful ([08:46]).
• Her defining early task at the UN: researching global threats, specifically pandemics (her coin-flip assignment) and terrorism—prescient topics at the time:
  • “He asked the two interns in his office to work on two things ... keeping him up at night ... one was terrorism and the other one was pandemics ... I got pandemics, he got terrorism ... that was a really determining coin for both of us.” (Gargi Ghosh, [09:08])

Lessons from COVID-19: Progress and Shortfalls in Global Health

[10:24 – 12:09]

• During COVID-19, Ghosh often reflected on what had improved since her UN internship (disease surveillance, rapid vaccine development) and what had not (global governance, stockpiling).
• Explains enduring tension between national interests and the necessity of pre-built cooperative systems:
  • “You don't build those cooperation systems in the moment of crisis. You've got to have them set in advance ... that's where I wish we had made more progress.” (Gargi Ghosh, [11:41])

Joining and Impact at the Gates Foundation

[12:39 – 20:28]

• Ghosh describes joining (and betting on) the then-unknown Gates Foundation, motivated by the opportunity to try new approaches, risk-taking, and integrating science into development.
• Explains the risk and intuition involved in making such career leaps, sharing her method of “refining your gut” with walks or runs.
• Discusses the Foundation’s hallmark achievement: spreading ambition and optimism in global health:
  • “A mentor ... said ... the singular achievement was to bring a sense of optimism and ambition to the field. I can't imagine a bigger compliment ... than being seen to have done that.” (Ghosh, [17:42])
• Outlines transformative projects, including GAVI (vaccine access) and efforts to make country financing central rather than donor-dependent.

The Human Impact of Global Health Work

[20:28 – 22:22]

• Celebrates concrete progress in global health (halving child death rates, increased vaccine access) and wishes more people understood the tangible differences these achievements mean for families:
  • “For me now, even as a data nerd ... sitting with other mothers who are able to send their kids to school because they’re not sick ... it's just ... so motivating.” (Ghosh, [20:51])

Gender and Leadership: Head and Heart

[22:22 – 24:21]

• Ghosh candidly admits it took time to appreciate how her gender positively influenced her approach to leadership:
  • “Most of your career was spent proving that being a woman wasn't a liability ... it’s ... a beautiful thing of ... the past decade ... that we can talk about how much ... it's an asset ... I carry the head and heart in everything I do.” (Ghosh, [22:55])
• Emphasizes value in connecting quantitative rigor with empathy and human impact.

Defining Power and Courage

[24:21 – 25:13]

• Ghosh redefines power not as hierarchy or budget size, but as the “ability to do brave things” and enable others to take risks or challenge the status quo:
  • “It means the ability to do brave things... Now it’s the ability to take a risk, or allow other people to take a risk. It’s the ability to call out my own organization when we're not living up to our own standards or to bet on a new approach.” (Ghosh, [24:34])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the "birth lottery":
  “Where you are born shouldn't matter to the opportunities you have in life.” (Ghosh, [01:37])
• On applying "head and heart":
  “It was a gateway for me to bridge the head and heart parts of my career and interests.” (Ghosh, [13:30])
• On personal method for decision-making:
  “My personal approach is to go for a long run or go for a long walk and sort of refine your gut.” (Ghosh, [15:54])
• On empowering ambition:
  “The singular achievement was to bring a sense of optimism and ambition to the field.” (Ghosh citing a mentor, [17:42])
• On power and bravery:
  “It means the ability to do brave things ... to take a risk, or allow other people to take a risk ... to call out my own organization when we're not living up to our own standards or to bet on a new approach.” (Ghosh, [24:34])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:20 — Ghosh’s upbringing and the “birth lottery”
• 03:59 — Family health stories and their impact
• 06:56 — Studying economics vs. politics, joining the UN
• 09:08 — The coin flip: pandemics vs. terrorism
• 10:24 — Pandemic preparedness: Past vs. COVID-19
• 12:39 — Transitioning to global development and Gates Foundation
• 15:54 — Learning to trust your instincts
• 17:42 — Defining achievement: optimism and ambition in global health
• 20:51 — The real, lived impact of development work
• 22:55 — Gender, leadership, and authenticity
• 24:34 — Redefining power: courage and risk-taking

Tone and Takeaway

Candid, thoughtful, and quietly inspiring, this episode offers a nuanced look at what it means to lead with both expertise and empathy in global health advocacy. Gargi Ghosh’s story is a testament to trusting your instincts, valuing both the analytical and human sides of problem-solving, and using power to enable meaningful, often risky change rather than mere authority. For women—and everyone—in global negotiations, her journey underscores: trust the work, trust yourself, and be brave enough to elevate ambition.