Melinda French Gates

All Lives Are Equal: Melinda Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

John Paczkowski in D6 on May 29, 2008 at 9:20 am PT

Before she ever dated Bill Gates, let alone married him, Melinda French was a damned good product manager at Microsoft. She brought to market Microsoft Publisher, which popularized the step-by-step wizards that have since spread through software everywhere. And she made a valiant, if failed, effort to radically simplify computers with Microsoft Bob. Now, with her husband, she heads the world’s largest charitable foundation, bringing to philanthropy a rare combination of compassion and the business skills she honed at Microsoft.