Welcome!

We’ve had an exciting and busy spring:

• YGL Summit registrations are pouring in at a faster pace than ever before
• Over 100 of you joined Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Members of Congress to hear their insights into US foreign policy-making
• A group of 20 Latin American YGLs built homes in Santiago de Chile
• 25 of you gathered at the Dead Sea to join H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for Dignity Day in Amman along with working sessions on entrepreneurship and education reform in the Middle East
• Our South Africa and Singapore meetings in June will feature “Meet a Leader” sessions where you will trade ideas on everything from governance to growth with Kofi Annan, Kishore Mahbubani and Carlos Ghosn

Our taskforces are hard at work as well – check out the latest developments here; in the meantime, if you need support on your projects or taskforce work, please be sure to let us know. We’re here to help.

Finally, I would like to extend a personal note of thanks. It has been such a pleasure to meet so many of you through our recent events and hear your personal views on the community and how we can better develop our programmes. Thank you for welcoming me so graciously. We look forward to seeing you soon.

All the best,
David & the team

The session will take place on 14 June at our headquarters in Geneva, from 09.00-17.00. Fifteen YGLs have already registered to help us design and shape the programme. If you plan to come but haven’t yet told us, please send an e-mail to Magdalena at magdalena.thurig@weforum.org.

And for those who haven’t yet registered for Dalian, follow this link:
http://www.weforum.org/en/members/onlineregistration/Dalian2007YGL

The event included meetings with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns. It also featured conversations with Kevin Warsh, Federal Reserve Board Governor, and YGL Kevin J. Martin, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, USA.

Key topics of discussion included climate change, the increasing importance of public-private partnerships, the need for reform across international organizations, IP protection, peace in the Middle East, the role of China, the need for strong capital markets and the domestic economic outlook for the US.

Comments from YGLs attending included:

 "From a European perspective, the YGL US policy roundtable in Washington provided an unprecedented opportunity to engage in personal and direct dialogue with key US policy makers and members of the US executive. The quality of the speakers, the participants and the debate, as well as the summit's climate of constructive controversy raise the bar for other countries engaging in public diplomacy."
Frank Krings, Chief Operating Officer, Europe and Member of the Management Committee, Germany, Deutsche Bank AG

 "It was a great opportunity to discuss and proffer an informed critique of US policies on global matters such as poverty, climate change, terrorism, nuclear technology, human rights, free trade, globalization, and sustainable economic growth, while emphasizing the interconnectedness of these issues."
Arthur Mutambara, President, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Zimbabwe

You can watch Secretary Rice's speech on the web (www.state.gov) or read her speech (including Q&A).

Contact: Martina Gmur for further information.

Latin America is changing dramatically. By the end of 2007, there will be 12 democratically elected heads of government. Yet chronic problems persist. At the World Economic Forum on Latin America (25-26 April) in Santiago de Chile, YGLs and other participants agreed on a pathway for achieving and sustaining higher growth and productivity. The top five priority areas identified include education, the environment, R&D investment, efficient taxes and infrastructure building. "It is not sufficient to bring growth back to our economies," said José C. Grubisich, Chief Executive Officer, Braskem, Brazil; Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum on Latin America. "We should focus on how to bring about a stable macroeconomic position and combine growth and investment to reduce poverty." Indeed, despite a relatively upbeat outlook of strong economic growth into 2007-2008, there are a number of dark clouds on the horizon. These could include potential overheating in Asia, further deterioration in the US housing sector that could cause a sharp slowdown in US consumer spending and a global re-appreciation of risk.

In addition to their discussions, Young Global Leaders also met with the Red de Líderes de Chile (The Young Leaders Network of Chile) and discussed regional and global constraints during a dinner hosted by El Mercurio and Universidad Adolfo Ibañez. Finally, together with Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurs and local partner Un Techo para Chile (A Roof for Chile) YGLs worked side by side with beneficiaries and other volunteers to construct two homes in one of Santiago de Chile’s poorest areas.

Special thanks to YGLs Paula Escobar and Juan Carlos Eichholz for making this happen!

For more information visit our website to read the report and the list of participants, or contact: Melissa Arditto

Young Global Leaders gathered at the Dead Sea on 18-20 May for the World Economic Forum on the Middle East. This year’s gathering spotlighted efforts to accelerate economic diversification while emphasizing the urgency of promoting peace and understanding in the region. Co-Chaired by YGL Linda Rottenberg, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Endeavor Global, USA, sessions included discussions on industries of the future, on stability and using business as an instrument to promote peace.

The Young Global Leaders’ private programme included a working session on sustainable education reform, a school visit and Dignity Day in Amman with H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, as well as a WorkSpace session on engendering entrepreneurship across the region.

The highlight of the event was that YGL participants came away inspired by both the wisdom and frankness of the children and the warmth of their open-hearted welcome.

Special thanks to all the YGLs who participated to make the Jordan Dignity Day a resounding success.

For more information, contact Sujeet Kumar

Celebrating these successes and Co-Chaired by YGL Malvinder Singh, the World Economic Forum on Africa (13-15 June) in Cape Town will examine remaining constraints and prioritize actions not only to sustain progress, but also to ensure that the bar is raised much higher. Specific focus areas include skills and capacity utilization, further improving the investment climate, boosting competitiveness, building social and physical infrastructure and positioning the continent more proactively on the global stage.

The YGL workshop on 13 June will focus on the role of the Investment Climate Facility with Omari Issa, Chief Executive Officer, Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF), and will include a brainstorming session in which Young Global Leaders will work together to determine what more can be done to spread the African investment story. A special “Meet a Leader” session with Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General (1997-2006), is also in the works. Join the 25 of your fellow YGLs already registered!

Special thanks to YGLs Nicky Newton-King and Raenette Taljaard for their help and ideas. For more information or to register, contact Francesca Martonffy

The economic dynamism of the East Asian community continues to reorder global and regional business strategies. Ten years after the Asian financial crisis, ASEAN’s lead in market-driven integration, the emergence of China and India, and Japan’s economic recovery underline East Asia’s renewed economic buoyancy. Yet is this pattern of growth sustainable? And are there unique skills required to lead in this, Asia’s, century?

During the World Economic Forum on East Asia, which will take place on 24-25 June, business leaders from around the world will gather to tackle these critical questions. The YGL Asian Leaders Retreat on 23 June will focus on driving innovation across Asia – starting from the ground up. The day will include a visit to local social entrepreneurs, an exploration of cutting-edge scientific research, a workshop with Kishore Mahbubani, Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore, and a special “Meet a Leader” session with Carlos Ghosn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Renault, France and President and Chief Executive Officer, Nissan, Japan. Don’t miss it!

Special thanks to all Singapore-based YGLs, especially Penny Low and Jackie Y. Ying, who is generously hosting us at the Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.

For more information or to register, contact Francesca Martonffy

The Book of Love will be published and ready to be shared with everyone around the world in July!

Given everyone’s tremendous support, we’d like to give you the opportunity to distribute the book to your associates and friends in your country. We do hope you’ll take us up on the offer and help spread the love. Please contact georges.kern@iwc.ch or matthew.anderson@bskyb.com

As a new feature of our newsletter, we’ll be featuring the many amazing individuals who make up our community, so you get to know one another across regional and taskforce working groups. This month’s features can keep you in balance, on time and in check, mate. Read on:

VISHY
Chess Grandmaster Vishwanathan (Vishy) Anand has been called the fastest brain in the world. He is currently ranked first in the world as of this April (one of only six people to hold the honour since 1970). Vishy and his wife Aruna are education advocates within India, particularly in computer literacy.

  When asked what he most enjoys about the YGL community, he replied,

Vishy: “The YGL is an open platform where voices are heard from across the spectrum. For example there is a lot happening by way of emails and electronic communication. Issues are raised and attention is drawn to issues that affect our immediate environment.It is the constant exchange of ideas and information that draws me to the movement”.

BELINDA
Belinda Stronach returned recently to global corporate leadership, being named Executive Vice-Chair of auto-parts giant Magna International. She will leave elected politics for now at the next national election in Canada at which she will not present herself for re-election in her constituency of Newmarket-Aurora (Ontario). A former Canadian Cabinet minister responsible for human resource and skills development, Belinda also plays a leadership role in the fight to eradicate malaria in Africa as Co-Chair of Spread the Net organization, and an initiative to revolutionize agriculture in Africa.

  Belinda's idea of great leadership and her advice on working with family?

Belinda: "Working up close and personal with my father at Magna, which he founded, prepared me well for politics, public life and my role in business. I can't say we always agree, but I respect him. I learned never to accept the status quo as a given, to challenge conventional wisdom and to believe in myself no matter how loud the noise around me. To survive in politics, I needed all these values and skills.

For me, leadership is a fusion of personal integrity, openness to ideas, the ability to bring together the very best people who can do things you can't, determination, and an unwavering belief that you are doing your best for the right reasons. There is little opportunity left in what is conventional.”

GEORGES
If you want to be on time, become a watchmaker, but if you want to make time, become Georges Kern. Georges serves as Chief Executive Officer of IWC International, a position he has held since 2002. He has significant experience in the watch industry, beginning his career with TAG Heuer. Georges is also very active in the environmental taskforce.

  How does he make time for it all (other than keeping very good track of time, of course)?

Georges: “Like for all other managers, it's all about efficiency in the organisation. This means to have the right team and to really focus on the essentials.”

Are you descended from a slave or a slave owner? When she stumbled on her own family history, Botlhale Tema wrote it up as a story of slavery and freedom in a small valley in South Africa. This is a book that almost certainly no one you know will have heard of, until you pick it up to read and pass the word on this treasure. I am grateful to Paul Kapelus for sharing this with me. The People of Welgeval is by Botlhale Tema (Zebra Press).

Bombay. A big city deserves a big book and this city can boast two of outstanding quality. The first, and this month's recommendation is Maximum City by Suketu Mehta (Headline Review). Thanks to YGL Sonu Jain for this recommendation. The city comes alive in this, its best biography. But if you prefer reading fiction, then you might opt instead for Sacred Games by YGL Vikram Chandra (Faber and Faber). Either of these will leave you with a fascination for Mumbai.

Keep the recommendations coming and contact Ed Mayo with further suggestions.

One thing we’re sure of – YGLs are constantly on the move! Below are some new adventures and challenges being embarked upon.

Many congratulations:

Christophe Beck is now Senior Vice-President, Strategy and Marketing, at Ecolab Inc. in St Paul, Minnesota, USA. Christophe is the first Minnesota-based YGL, proving that there’s nowhere we’re not!

Dina Powell will leave her position as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs to become Director of Global Corporate Engagement for the Goldman Sachs Group.

Shai Agassi has left SAP to pursue other adventures, most recently focusing on alternative, environmentally sustainable transportation.

Claire Chino, Penny Low and Mehmet Daimagüler will become Yale World Fellows for the fall semester. Claire, Penny and Mehmet join a good number of you who have been through the YWFP, including Fang Xinghai, Aboubakr, Mi-hyung Kim, Brian Kagoro, Raenette Taljaard, Igor Shevchenko and Nicky Newton-King.

Congratulations to John Nevado for his work with the FaceofAIDS foundation to raise awareness of the epidemic. John has graciously made two foundation films: “AIDS Epidemic Update” and “America & AIDS”, available on DVD to all interested. See http://www.faceofaids.org for more information or contact John for your complimentary copy.

Exclusive Offer for Young Global Leaders – a complimentary subscription to Seed, the magazine that connects science to society. If you’d like to receive a copy, e-mail your fellow YGL (and Seed Editor-in-Chief) Adam Bly.