Today, we would like to share an update on changes at Living Goods’ senior-most leadership level. These changes will take effect at the beginning of 2025 and are the result of careful planning.

As Living Goods’ momentum has been building over the last several years, our stellar CEO, Liz Jarman, has been discussing with our board the right time to pass the baton after more than 10 years of extraordinary service.  With the incredible momentum of our strategy, our strong financial health and the outstanding support of our partners and teams, Liz believes that now is the right time to pass the torch to a new leader.  We deeply admire and value Liz’s extraordinary accomplishments, and fully support her decision to move on at the end of this year.

Knowing Liz’s long-term intentions, the board commenced a thorough succession planning process for more than a year. We committed to developing both compelling internal candidates, and carefully assessing the external landscape of potential candidates.  At that time, we determined our north star must be building on the great momentum of the current strategy, which the board, our core country governments, and key partners, all have deep conviction around.

We saw Living Goods needed a strong leader with a steady hand well positioned to continue executing this compelling vision for the organization.  Our rigorous process included employing a deeply experienced external consultant, internal talent identification, an external market review, consultations with the executive team, and extensive engagement at the board.

In-coming Living Goods CEO, Emilie Chambert.

Now that this process is complete, we are thrilled to announce that the board has unanimously selected Emilie Chambert—currently serving as the Chief Program Officer and deputy to the CEO—to assume the role of Living Goods’ next CEO, effective January 1, 2025. Emilie has played a pivotal role in achieving key strategic milestones for Living Goods. Her co-leadership in the strategic planning process with Liz reflects her integral position in shaping the organization’s direction. With over 20 years of experience in public and private sectors, including more than 10 years in public health at CHAI and at Living Goods, and seven years living and working in Uganda, Emilie is a proven leader in scaling impactful initiatives and engaging with governments across Africa.

As Living Goods’ Uganda Country Director, Emilie managed more than 200 staff, achieved a 10-fold impact increase, and led Living Goods’ second major scientific study—Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)—that showed a 27% reduction in child mortality. Since 2021, as Deputy to the CEO and Chief Program Officer, Emilie has driven organizational excellence and global expansion, ensuring evidence-based impact, cost efficiency, and government adoption.  Most recently, she led our exciting expansion into Burkina Faso, where the early results are exemplary.

Emilie played a key role in driving initiatives that contributed to the digitization of community health systems in Kenya, Uganda, and Burkina Faso. Her bilingual proficiency in English and French further enhances her ability to work effectively in both anglophone and francophone countries. Emilie will continue living in Spain, where she has been based with her family for the last three years and will travel regularly to Kenya and our other countries and will have an apartment in Nairobi. 

With Liz’s promotion to CEO, six years ago, we relocated Living Goods’ global office to Nairobi, Kenya, and completed the shift of 90% of the executive leadership to the continent. As part and parcel of the current transition, the board is committing to continue strengthening the African representation in our leadership and governance. We are creating two vital new roles on our board: a Co-Chair position and a deputy to the CEO, forming a new leadership “quartet”, alongside the Board Chair and CEO. The board is committed to ensuring that this quartet will have minimum of 50% African representation. We are also committed to a board composition that is at least 50% female.

We are immeasurably grateful for Liz’s truly inspiring leadership throughout her 10 years with Living Goods. She has led a tremendous growth in impact for the families and country partners we serve. She has built an exceptional leadership team and culture and served as a shining role model and mentor to many.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our partners for their support and collaboration. Transforming community health is much like a team sport, and your ongoing commitment and unwavering support are indispensable to our success.

With Gratitude,

Chuck Slaughter, Board Chair, Living Goods’ Governing Board

Cheryl M. Scott, Vice Chair, Living Goods’ Governing Board