Who we are

The Young Global Leaders ® Community is an accelerator for a dynamic community of exceptional people with the vision, courage, and influence to drive positive change in the world.

Our growing membership of more than 1,400 members and alumni of 120 nationalities includes civic and business innovators, entrepreneurs, technology pioneers, educators, activists, artists, journalists, and more.

Aligned with the World Economic Forum’s mission, we seek to drive public-private co-operation in the global public interest. We are united by the belief that today’s pressing problems present an opportunity to build a better future across sectors and boundaries.

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Meet our members

Noura Bint Faisal Al Saud

Founder and Managing Director, Global Culture House, Saudi Arabia

Her Highness Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud founded Global Culture House as a Saudi boutique consultancy providing advisory and implementation services related to culture, creativity, and sustainable business. Global Culture House signifies Her Highness’s return to the private sector after successfully establishing the Fashion Commission at the Ministry of Culture. Princess Noura joined the Ministry of Culture in June 2019. She led Strategy Development for the fashion sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, building local and international partnerships with fashion institutions and nurturing Saudi fashion talent. She was part of the team that developed the Commission’s flagship outreach projects, including the Fashion Futures annual conference, digital platform, and mentorship program Saudi 100 Brands. Through her appointment as the Commission’s Ecosystem Integration & Program Delivery General Manager, Princess Noura oversaw the implementation of the strategy’s initiatives, ensuring their delivery at standards of excellence with measurable impact. Princess Noura’s entrepreneurial career commenced in 2009 in the United States. In 2015 she co-founded her first business, which focused on talent and lifestyle, before launching Global Fashion House, a fashion consultancy based in Riyadh. In April 2018, Princess Noura organized the Saudi Kingdom’s first fashion Week with this company, bringing together international and local stakeholders.

Adebola Williams

Chairman AW Network and Co-Founder, RED for Africa, Nigeria

Adebola Williams is a pioneer at the intersection of media, democracy and social change. He is co-founder and chief executive officer of RED, which owns Africa’s largest portfolio of youth media brands that engages millions of youths on the continent, including Red Media Africa, StateCraft, the Future Awards Africa, and YNaija.com. Williams co-founded EnoughisEnough (EiE) in 2010, one of Nigeria’s foremost civic participation groups and a voice for young people on politics. He was chairman of the board until resigning to take the lead on the communication and rebranding of the current Nigerian president, Muhammadu Buhari In 2014. Williams led the team that shaped the national discourse and optimized media engagement to change longstanding perceptions. He did the same in Ghana in 2016, helping the opposition candidate win the presidency on his third attempt. He and is team have recently concluded the Macky Sall campaign with a big win in February 2019.Williams consults in other regions in the continent. 

Eric Dayton

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Askov Finlayson, USA

An apparel, hospitality, and real estate entrepreneur, Eric Dayton started a movement to reimagine the identity of America's north as one of adventure, creativity and the embrace of cold winters. His company is on a mission to keep the north cold by donating 110% of its own carbon impact to organizations leading the fight against climate change. Prior to founding Askov Finlayson, he was a member of Arctic Transect 2004, a six-month, 2,000 mile dogsled expedition focused on climate research and education.

Agnes Budzyn

General Partner, Bluedge Ventures, USA

Agnes Budzyn is an investor in innovation, operator and entrepreneur. Co-Founder and Managing Partner at SFI fund, where she invests in blockchain and digital assets, with a focus on early and growth stage investments as well as acting as a trusted advisor on strategic direction and growth. Agnes is a versatile leader and investor in blockchain technology markets, and an experienced operator focused on strategic growth and regulatory compliance. With a decade of traditional finance experience at BlackRock as well as being a part of the leadership team at ConsenSys, Agnes specializes in bridging the gap between legacy finance and emerging blockchain-enabled solutions.
Agnes was formerly Managing Director and Global Head of the Office of the CEO at ConsenSys, a global formation of technologists building solutions for a blockchain-powered future, with over 100 early-stage applications, projects, and companies that emerged from the company’s incubator. In addition to her growth and operator role, she also served as a member of the investment committee where she focused on analyzing potential seed investments and incubation in the space. Her investment portfolio dates back to early 2017 and comprises multi protocols, decentralized storage, payments, DeFi, NFTs, SocialFi, Web3.0 and multiple crypto currencies.
Prior to that, her time at BlackRock provided her with first-hand experience working with many of the world’s largest institutions and central banks, as well as advising key regulators on strategic challenges. She managed the restructuring of a $40bn multi-asset class portfolio while part of a special situations team at BlackRock.
Agnes has spoken as a thought leader on blockchain and financial technology and its applications at events held by the Mobile World Congress in Spain, FDIC, George Washington University, Salesforce, US Chamber of Commerce, FTSE Russell World Investment Forum and the World Economic Forum. She is also currently a member of the Board of Directors at the Biden Institute and the Yale Club Audit Committee. Agnes was also featured as a Tech Pioneer by El Pais. Attended Nanyang Technology University Executive Education Module on "Smart Cities" and Harvard Kennedy School on Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century.

Huy Dung Nguyen

Vice-Minister, Ministry of Information and Communications of Viet Nam, Viet Nam

Huy Dung is the Deputy Minister of Information and Communications at the government of Vietnam. He is the youngest deputy minister in the current government. He has helped develop laws, regulations, and major projects, thereby contributing to the creation and completion of legal corridors, mechanisms, and policies in the field of information technology application and information security. Previously, he held different leadership positions at the Authority of Information Technology Application and the Authority of Information Security. Huy Dung holds a bachelor’s of I.T. degree from Nanyang Technological Institute, Singapore and a master’s degree from the University of Technology at the Hanoi National University.

Qian Liu

Managing Director, The Economist Group, China, People's Republic of China

Qian is an influential economist and business executive. As Managing Director of The Economist Group in Greater China, she has deep knowledge of the Chinese economy, understands both China and the West very well, with exceptional ability to bridge the two. She publishes in highly regarded academic journals and business outlets, and is frequently interviewed by BBC, CNBC, NPR etc. She is also a prominent advocate for gender equality in China, and introduces cutting edge global economic research on gender, and promotes intelligent public debates reaching millions of people. She also serves as Vice Chair for British Chamber of Commerce in China. Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum. Member of Global Future Council on China. Steering Committee member for World Economic Forum's Value in Media. Outstanding Women Award, China. Qian earned her PhD in economics from Uppsala University, Sweden, and was previously a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley, and received executive training from Stanford University and attended Global Leadership and Public Policy program at Harvard University.

Yoichi Ochiai

Associate Professor, University of Tsukuba, Japan

Yoichi Ochiai is an award-winning digital media artist, a recognized scholar, entrepreneur and media influencer. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, specializing in media art, human computer interactions and its application, and Head of the Digital Nature Laboratory. He is also Founder of Pixie Dust Technologies, a technology company developing digital fabrication through artificial intelligence-based solutions. Ochiai has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2015 World Technology Award, 2016 Prix Ars Electronica, European Union STARTS Prize, Laval Virtual Award and many others. He is the author of "The Century of Enchantment (Planets)" and "Survival Strategy of Super AI Era”. He has also given many lectures in Japan and abroad and at symposiums such as TEDxTokyo and at SEMICON Japan. Ochiai received his PhD in Applied Computer Science from the University of Tokyo.

Shen Peng

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Shuidi Company, People's Republic of China

In 2016, Shen Peng founded Waterdrop, a leading technology platform dedicated to insurance and healthcare service with a positive social impact. He pioneered the business model of "Medical fundraising + Health insurance + Healthcare Services", helping 2.4 million families to raise 48 billion RMB medical funding, and providing high-quality and inclusive insurance services to 110 million users. Waterdrop Company is successively winner of "Advanced Company in Covid 19 Response" by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and "Advanced Organization of Beijing Poverty Alleviation Cooperation" by the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Beijing Municipal People's Government.

He’s a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience and expertise in the technology and internet sectors in China. Prior, he co-founded Meituan Waimai and served as business head of it. Listed on “2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia”, “2021 Fortune 40 Under 40 China”. Winner of “40 people in 40 years for China's insurance “Special tribute Award. Winner of “Advanced individual in Covid 19 response”by the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Democratic National Construction Committee. Winner of “Advanced individual in Poverty Alleviation” by the Democratic National Construction Association. Winner of “ACES 2021 Young Entrepreneur of the Year”. Member of the "Young Entrepreneur Committee” of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce. Visiting professor of Business School of China University of Political Science and Law. Winner of "2021 Outstanding Contribution Award" from the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University.

Achmad Zaky

Founder, Bukalapak, Indonesia

Achmad Zaky is a technology entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder and ex-CEO of Bukalapak, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Indonesia. Currently, he is active in non-profit activity via Achmad Zaky Foundation. He invests in education and entrepreneurship causes.