amfAR held its inaugural London fundraising gala on Friday, October 17, 2025, at the newly opened Chancery Rosewood, which coincided with Frieze London and the BFI London Film Festival. The event raised $2.1 million in support of amfAR’s lifesaving biomedical research and advocacy programs and included presentations to honorees Dame Tracey Emin and the Natasha Poonawalla, as well as performances by the legendary Grace Jones and Jess Glynne.
Jess Glynne opened the night with electric performances of her hits “Hold My Hand” and “Rather Be” before event host Joely Richardson opened the night with a heartfelt speech about her very personal journey with HIV/AIDS: “…my father [Tony Richardson] was an incredible man, born in Yorkshire, son of a chemist. He came to London. He reinvented the London theater scene. He started the Royal Court [Theatre]…He won Oscars for his filmTom Jones, and, in his spare time, he liked to travel the world and hang out with silverback gorillas. He, my father at the same age that I am now, was one of the 44 million that have died of AIDS.” Richardson continued by emphasizing the importance of continuing to support amfAR to finally achieve a world without AIDS.
amfAR Board Co-Chairs T. Ryan Greenawalt and Kevin McClatchy took the stage to highlight amfAR’s key achievements and herald the Foundation’s future: “Your support allows us to further extend the reach of that research, funding breakthrough discoveries that will empower the whole world and bringing together researchers from different—and often siloed—disciplines, who, together, can leverage their findings for new communities and new health threats,” Greenawalt and McClatchy said.
They then presented Natasha Poonawalla with the amfAR Philanthropic Leadership Award who stressed that “equality in health is the foundation of equality in life, and that’s why this award means so much.” Poonawalla continued by shining a light on amfAR’s impact by saying “amfAR’s work—from fighting HIV to funding research and innovation—proves that science and compassion together can rewrite the story of global health.”
Presenting the amfAR Award of Inspiration to Dame Tracey Emin, incoming CEO Kyle Clifford shared how the advocacy of others has benefitted him.
“I stand here as amfAR’s new CEO, and as someone who is HIV-positive,” Clifford said. “In many ways, I am here tonight because of the kind of inspiring courage we are honoring — the courage to care, to act, and to use one’s voice for others.” Dame Tracey Emin accepted and gave a moving speech reminding guests that “ 30 years ago, if you were diagnosed HIV, you weren’t diagnosed with HIV, you were given a death sentence, and it was just a matter of time before you were going to die, or you were going to hear that another friend had died, or another group of people had died. And that isn’t the case anymore, and the reason why is because people like me and people like you in this room have worked so hard to fight, fight, fight, to believe that AIDS can be eradicated in our lifetime.”
The evening’s auction was led by the inimitable Simon de Pury. Auction highlights included a stunning Tracey Emin piece, Twilight, which sold for £450,000 and a Rosewood vacation experience package which sold twice for £70,000.
Friend of amfAR Jodie Turner-Smith brought the evening to a climactic end, introducing the legendary Grace Jones. Guests were captivated by performances of her iconic hits “La Vie en rose,” “Pull Up to the Bumper,” and “Slave to the Rhythm.”
People living with HIV around the world have benefitted greatly from decades of HIV research; nearly all of the UK’s 113,000 people living with HIV are receiving treatment. But each year, 6,000 more people are newly diagnosed with HIV, a rate of 16 new cases per day, highlighting the continued need for long-term solutions, like an accessible and scalable cure for HIV.
Chairs of the first annual amfAR London included: Kate Beckinsale, Helena Bonham Carter, Olivia Buckingham, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Luke Evans, Colin Firth, Anu Hinduja, Lucien Laviscount, and Emma Thompson.
The evening’s Presenting Sponsor was The Chancery Rosewood Hotel. The event was generously supported by Cap Gin, Don Julio, RUMOR Rosé, Skywalker Vineyards, Tramp, Wheely, and You & Me.
Photos by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for amfAR