The Gates Foundation today confirmed that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will not deliver the keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. In a statement, the foundation clarified that it will instead be represented at the summit by Ankur Vora. He is scheduled to address the gathering later in the day in New Delhi.
“After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities, Mr Gates will not be delivering his keynote address,” the Gates Foundation said in a post on X.
While the announcement put an end to days of speculation over Bill Gates’ participation in the Delhi event, it has now left people wondering who Ankur Vora is. So, here’s everything you need to know about the Gate Foundation’s keynote speaker at the summit:
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Ankur Vora is the President of the Africa and India offices at the Gates Foundation.
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Vora takes care of the foundation’s work across Africa and India, two regions central to the foundation’s global mission. He also leads enterprise-wide strategy, advising the chair and CEO on priorities, resource allocation, and major tradeoffs across the portfolio.
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Before starting his journey at the foundation in 2013, Ankur served as the director of programs at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, managing investments across Africa and South Asia.
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During the early years of his professional life, he worked as a principal at the Boston Consulting Group and a lecturer in economics at the University of Chicago.
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He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago and is a member of the boards of Global Health Labs and the Gates Medical Research Institute.