From Los Angeles to journalism to project manager for our Save the Children partnership – meet Matt MacCalla, today’s #FacesOfGSK #MondayMotivation
As project manager for the GSK and Save the
Children partnership, Matt MacCalla enjoys uniting the business and
charity worlds to help make the world a better place. He shares his
fascinating journey around the world and explains his ambitions to help
tackle some of the biggest healthcare challenges.
Around the world in 3650 days
It's been a long road to GSK. Originally from Los Angeles, I got involved in the international aid and development sector after studying abroad and became interested in public health after working for the Rand Corporation think tank, on a project providing healthcare to the homeless population in downtown Los Angeles.From there I travelled the world to see where I could really make an impact – teaching politics and culture in China; working as a journalist in South America; working with US Congress International Relations committee; and I even became a Los Angeles City lifeguard.
But I wanted to do something bigger. After getting an MA in Development and International Relations, I became the Director of Programs at the international health and humanitarian aid organisation Direct Relief, based in California, USA. After working with Direct Relief for nearly a decade, and getting to know GSK who was one of our key donors and strongest partners, I decided to move to the UK for an MSc, then began consulting for GSK. Shortly afterwards, I discovered the GSK and Save the Children partnership.
Working with the GSK Save the Children partnership
Having spent most of my career in the non-profit sector, I understood the power of partnerships with the private sector. I wanted to work in a partnership of equals, which combined both sides' skills and resources to do more together than they could separately - a 'warts and all' relationship. Strong partnerships, which can be honest and clear, can also be more productive. This is what really matters, and in our case, is what helps saves lives. That's what attracted me to the GSK and Save the Children partnership, and I have not been disappointed.The GSK and Save the Children partnership combines GSK's scientific expertise and resources with Save the Children's on-the-ground knowledge to help change the lives of children living in some of the world's poorest countries. As a project manager, my job is to keep all the wheels on this big, beautiful machine turning. There are a lot of moving parts and many people in many countries across two large organisations, so I try to keep it all flowing.
One of the projects I work on is the Healthcare Innovation Award. This was established through our partnership back in 2013. It recognises that some of the most ingenious solutions to development challenges come from those closest to the challenges. But innovators in poorer countries can sometimes lack the opportunity to take their ideas to scale. Our annual $1 million Award aims to give them the resources to help roll out their great ideas more widely. We've helped some fantastic innovations to take off, like the low-cost 'baby bubble' from Malawi.
It's incredible that there are only four full-time
employees working on the partnership. We rely on hundreds of employees
to provide their expertise and skills alongside their full-time jobs at
GSK.
It's always inspiring to hear what motivates colleagues to get involved. Sometimes seeing friends or family affected by a humanitarian disaster inspires employees to do whatever they can to help, or learning how many children die from preventable illnesses like pneumonia. For me, becoming a parent brought a new perspective on maternal and child health.
It's always inspiring to hear what motivates colleagues to get involved. Sometimes seeing friends or family affected by a humanitarian disaster inspires employees to do whatever they can to help, or learning how many children die from preventable illnesses like pneumonia. For me, becoming a parent brought a new perspective on maternal and child health.
Seeing our partnership come to life
My favourite day as project manager was when I attended a graduation ceremony in Kenya for 50 health workers supported by the partnership. They had just graduated from being 'traditional birth attendants' to being 'birth companions'. They welcomed us with song and dance and local food to celebrate their new skills and demonstrate the importance of their training, as their new skills would make them more valuable to pregnant mothers.
It was an important day for public health as their
improved knowledge would help save lives, and it was great to see the
benefits of the partnership in real life.
For me, the day summed up how our partnership combines our knowledge and expertise with all the things Save the Children is great at. By adding those things together, we can do more than either of us could have done alone. It's wonderful that our partnership has demonstrate that this ideal is possible – we've impacted the lives of more than 2 million children so far. I hope this inspires other partnerships to focus on the issues where their collaboration can help make a difference.
For me, the day summed up how our partnership combines our knowledge and expertise with all the things Save the Children is great at. By adding those things together, we can do more than either of us could have done alone. It's wonderful that our partnership has demonstrate that this ideal is possible – we've impacted the lives of more than 2 million children so far. I hope this inspires other partnerships to focus on the issues where their collaboration can help make a difference.
- GSK
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