> Melinda Ann French Gates (born Melinda Ann French; August 15, 1964) is an American philanthropist, former multimedia product developer and manager at Microsoft, and the ex-wife of its co-founder and billionaire [[Bill Gates]]. French Gates has consistently been ranked as one of the world's most powerful women by [[Forbes]] magazine.In 2000, she and her then-husband [[Bill Gates]] co-founded the [[Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation]], the world's largest private charitable organization as of 2015. She and her ex-husband have been awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honour. > > In early May 2021, Bill and Melinda Gates announced they were getting divorced but will still remain co-chairs of the foundation. She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2021. > > [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda%20French%20Gates)