Steve Davis (business)
Steve Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dillon, Montana, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Social activist, corporate leader, scholar, faculty member |
| Known for | Expertise in social innovation; faculty at Stanford Graduate School of Business; Senior Strategic Advisor and Interim Director at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation China Country Office; Distinguished Fellow at World Economic Forum; member of Council on Foreign Relations; co-leader of WHO Digital Health Technical Advisory Group |
| Notable work | Undercurrents: Channeling Outrage to Spark Practical Activism (2020) |
Steve Davis is recognized as a social activist, corporate leader, and scholar with expertise in social innovation. He is a faculty member at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where his instruction focuses on social innovation. In addition, he holds the roles of Senior Strategic Advisor and Interim Director for the China Country Office at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Davis is also a Distinguished Fellow at the World Economic Forum, participates as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and contributes to various boards and advisory committees. Furthermore, he co-leads the World Health Organization's Digital Health Technical Advisory Group.
In 2020, Davis published Undercurrents: Channeling Outrage to Spark Practical Activism through Wiley, a work that earned the Gold Star accolade from Axiom Books. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington.
Early life
Raised in a large family in Dillon, Montana, Davis pursued higher education at Princeton University. Following his graduation, he was awarded a Princeton-in-Asia Fellowship that involved teaching literature in Taiwan. His academic journey continued with studies in Chinese Studies at both the University of Washington and Beijing University, alongside coursework in Chinese and human rights law at Columbia University. His initial professional endeavors centered on refugee assistance and human rights advocacy.
Career summary
Davis has held various significant positions including attorney at K&L Gates (formerly Preston Gates & Ellis); CEO of Corbis, a digital media company founded by Bill Gates; interim CEO of the Infectious Disease Research Institute, which focuses on global health; director of social innovation at the international consulting firm McKinsey & Company; and most recently president and CEO of PATH, an organization dedicated to health innovation. He frequently delivers talks and publishes on topics related to innovation, technology, and social impact, drawing on his extensive experience working within China.