Melinda French Gates Makes Red Carpet Debut with Philip Vaughn

Melinda French Gates is enjoying a glam night out with Philip Vaughn.

The philanthropist, 61, stepped out with the businessman while attending The Albies, an annual awards event hosted by George and Amal Clooney‘s Clooney Foundation for Justice, on Friday, Oct. 3.

This year’s event took place at the Natural History Museum in London, England — and French Gates was one of the honorees, being recognized for her global efforts over the past 25 years to champion women’s health and gender equality.

“After setting the direction of the world’s largest philanthropy for more than two decades at the Gates Foundation, she now leads Pivotal — an organization that works to accelerate the pace of progress and advance women’s power and influence in the U.S. and around the world,” according to a news release from the Clooney Foundation for Justice.

French Gates — who has previously attended the event alongside daughter Phoebe Gates — was all smiles for the occasion while being photographed arm-in-arm with Vaughn, 48. The outing marked the first public event the pair have been photographed at together.

A rep for French Gates had no comment when reached by PEOPLE.

French Gates and Vaughn first sparked romance rumors in 2024 when they were photographed holding hands in New York City.

Earlier this year, while speaking exclusively with PEOPLE about her new book, The Next Day, the activist and mom of three revealed that she was in a new relationship, four years after announcing her split from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

“I am, yes,” Melinda said with a smile, adding that she was “very, very happy,” but wasn’t willing to name her new man just yet.

She echoed those comments during a subsequent interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, confirming she was currently in a “pretty great” relationship.

The pair were also photographed together in N.Y.C. ahead of the start of her book tour.

According to Vaughn’s LinkedIn profile, he is the founder and chairman of craft beer delivery company Tavour. Additionally, he describes himself as having worked for Microsoft between 1999 and 2008.

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French Gates also worked at the tech company, where she met her ex-husband, but left before the birth of their first child in 1996.

French Gates and the Microsoft co-founder, who finalized their divorce in 2021, are parents to three children: daughters Jennifer 29, and Phoebe, 23, as well as son Rory, 26. He is currently in a relationship with girlfriend Paula Hurd.