(1888PressRelease)
February 28, 2009 - Geneva, Switzerland – The World Economic Forum has announced the Young Global Leaders (YGL) 2009. The honour, bestowed each year by the Forum, recognizes and acknowledges between 200 and 300 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.
In 2009, the Forum has nominated Young Global Leaders from 71 countries, including business leaders, as well as leaders from government, academia, non-profit organizations, media and society. The new class represents all regions: East Asia (54), Europe (58), the Middle East and North Africa (12), North America (45), South Asia (24), sub-Saharan Africa (20) and Latin America (17). For a list of YGLs honoured in 2009, click here.
“The World Economic Forum is a true multistakeholder community of global decision-makers. Among the Forum communities, the Young Global Leaders represent the voice for the future and a catalyst for initiatives in the global public interest. As we currently face one of the most challenging times economically and socially, the Young Global Leaders are even more important in developing, designing and leading a world committed to positive change,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates, the Young Global Leaders 2009 were chosen by a selection committee, chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, comprising 31 eminent international media leaders. They included Shekhar Gupta Editor-in-Chief, The Indian Express, India; Aroon Purie Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, India Today Group, India; and Prannoy Roy Chairman, New Delhi Television (NDTV), India. For a list of the selection committee, click here.
The Young Global Leaders (YGL) nominated from South Asia represent five countries and a diverse spectrum of professional backgrounds. They include Kamal Quadir, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, CellBazaar, Bangladesh; Kasim Kasuri, Chief Executive Officer, Beaconhouse, Pakistan; Shireen Bhan, Anchor, CNBC - India, India; Reuben Abraham, Director, Base of the Pyramid Lab - India School of Business, India; and Sminu Jindal, Managing Director, Jindal Saw Ltd, India among others.
"I am honoured to be nominated as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. I believe this will be a unique opportunity to engage with a community of thought leaders and captains of business, government and other sectors to share the challenges and opportunities faced by entrepreneurs, both working as start-ups and in partnerships with multinationals in emerging markets. There are opportunities to build sustainable businesses, but also hurdles that must be overcome for which solutions are not obvious. The YGL community provides a global network of peers to seek solutions, so that we can collectively contribute to society," said Kamal Quadir, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, CellBazaar.
The 2009 honourees will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders that currently comprises 480 outstanding individuals. The YGLs convene at biannual summits, as well as Forum events and meetings throughout the year, and collaborate on initiatives to tackle some of the key challenges of our generation.
"The Forum of Young Global Leaders is one of the closest and warmest communities that I have seen. It may surprise others, it did surprise me, that so many highly talented people from public policy, commerce, philanthropy and academia could get together with such humility and sense of purpose,” said Sandeep Parekh, Visiting Associate Faculty, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India. “Besides calling upon each other as friends, YGLs provide material professional support to each other in commercial, policy and philanthropic efforts. Finally, the meetings organized by the World Economic Forum for the YGLs provide a melting pot of ideas and action with tangible output. On many occasions, the YGLs are put right in the middle of the discussions as moderators or panellists in the broader Forum meetings."
For a list of YGLs honoured in 2009, click here
For a full list of the YGL community, click here
For a list of the YGL Selection Committee, click here
About The Forum of Young Global Leaders
Established in 2004 by Professor Klaus Schwab, The Forum of Young Global Leaders (www.younggloballeaders.org) is a unique, multistakeholder community of the world’s most extraordinary young leaders who dedicate a part of their time to jointly address global challenges and who are committed to devote part of their knowledge and energy to collectively work towards a better future. Together the Young Global Leaders work to discover innovative solutions to today’s most pressing problems through various initiatives and workstreams as well as catalysing the next generation of leaders.
The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a foundation in 1971 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests (http://www.weforum.org).
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