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

Daniel Feldman

Founder and Architect, Zona Industrial Taller de Arquitectura, Colombia

Daniel Feldman Founder and Chief Executive of ZITA (Zona Industrial Taller de Arquitectura), a mission-based architecture and urban design and development firm whose processes are rooted in community participatory design, environmental innovation, and historic preservation centered urban development. Since age 26, he has been a university educator leading architecture studios and seminars where he challenges his students to immerse themselves in complex social realities as a way of practice. He designed and developed multiple kindergartens in underserved rural communities as the Lead Architect in the office of the First Lady of Colombia, and was Head of Architecture at the Colombian office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) where he led the infrastructure investments that support the extreme poverty reduction programme in war-stricken areas. The public buildings he has designed and developed within secluded and overlooked communities in Colombia, Brazil, Kenya and the US have been internationally awarded and published in multiple occasions including the ward for the Best Young Latin American Architect in the Venice Architecture Biennial, 2018. Feldman holds an MA in Urban Design from Harvard University as a Fulbright Scholar, and a BA in Architecture from Universidad de Los Andes.

Sahar Albazar

Chair, International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Women Parliamentarians Council, Inter-Parliamentary Union, Egypt

Sahar Albazar is an Egyptian Member of Parliament and currently serves as the Deputy Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee at the Egyptian House of Representatives. Recently elected to Lead the (IMF) & (WBG) women parliamentarians council, representing 190 countries. Previously, Sahar held the prestigious position of President at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) forum of young parliamentarians. She is also the Head of the Harvard women in defense, diplomacy, and development, focusing on initiatives and challenges pertinent to Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2022, Sahar was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and In the same year, Yale University honored her as a World Fellow. Sahar holds a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Otto Sonnenholzner

Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, Ecuador

Otto Sonnenholzner was elected to be the vice president of Ecuador in December 2018. For 12 years, he was a radio personality with his own talk show. Sonnenholzner also served as the president of the Ecuadorian Association of Broadcasters and is a champion for freedom of speech. He was part of the faculty at Universidad Católica de Guayaquil and is a successful entreprenuer in the broadcasting, telecommunications, construction, commerce and agriculture industries.

Mark Stoffels

Global Business Unit Leader, Image Guided Therapy Systems, Philips, Netherlands

Mark Stoffels is a senior global health tech executive. As Global Business Unit Leader and Senior Vice-President of Royal Philips’ Image Guided Therapy Systems, he is highly driven to improve global access to healthcare. Other roles at Royal Philips include Managing Director and Senior Vice-President Connected Care North America, Vice-President and General of Latin America, Country Manager Mexico, General Manager Health Systems Mexico and Strategic Marketing Director for Latin America. Stoffels is the author of "3 Billion Heart Beats", a novel on Buddhism which principles he works tirelessly to implement in his leadership style.

Miguel Medina

Minister of Investment, Office of the President of Honduras, Honduras

Miguel is a young public leader that is currently the Minister Investment and the Executive Secretary of the National Investment Council. Before joining the Government of Honduras, Miguel worked as a General Manager for the second largest gas retail company in Honduras and Guatemala. He was also the Director of Corporate projects for Grupo Montecristo, a Honduran family owned conglomerate with investment in renewable energy. Miguel has a MBA from Georgetown University; and a bachelor of Arts in Business Leadership from the University of Dallas.

Cherrie Atilano

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Agrea, Philippines

Cherrie Atilano has 26 years of experience in sustainable food systems and inclusive agribusiness as an advocate of women and youth in agriculture, agri-technology, malnutrition eradication and the responsible production and consumption for the future of food. She is a multi-awarded entrepreneur and ambassador on agricultural issues.

Anahita Thoms

Partner, International Trade Practice, Baker McKenzie, Germany

Anahita Thoms is an award-winning lawyer who focuses her practice on global investigations, in the field of sustainability and international trade law, including sanctions, export controls, foreign investment review, data protection, business and human rights. She leads Baker McKenzie's International Trade Practice in Germany and is a Member of the firm's Europe, Middle East and African regional Steering Committee for the Compliance & Investigations Group. She is a Board Member of Atlantik-Brücke, serves on the National Committee of Unicef Germany and is Advisory Board Member of the Sustainable Finance Council of the German Federal Government. She is a regularly interviewed by media outlets as an expert and is a speaker at international conferences on diverse topics, such as trade, sustainability, diversity and ethics. Anahita is committed to giving back to society and is passionate about human rights and the fight against modern slavery.

Siwan (Swan) Lu

Group Head, Business Development and Capabilities, Zurich Insurance Company Ltd, Switzerland

International experience in leading global organization growth through partnership distribution, internationalization, M&A, digitalization & innovation, workforce transformation, public-private partnership (focuses on social equity). CEO of digital unit and chair of digital subsidiaries. Board, Harvard alumni women network CH, Young global leader from WEF.
Swan worked in Switzerland, Germany, US and China. Fluent in German, Mandarin, Cantonese and care about social equity.

Miranda Qu Fang

Founder, Xiaohongshu, People's Republic of China

Miranda Qu Fang is Co-Founder and President of Xiaohongshu.
Founded in 2013, Xiaohongshu is China's leading lifestyle platform with over 260 million monthly active users, and is continuing to grow rapidly. With millions of users sharing their lives in an authentic way on Xiaohongshu, many of whom are at the forefront of trends, the platform has become a gathering place for the latest lifestyle trends in China and a destination that empowers users to make informed consumption decisions. Xiaohongshu has also developed into an important brand marketing platform and an emerging e-commerce platform, where over 170,000 brands have a presence.
Over the past decade, Qu has continued driving innovation at Xiaohongshu, playing a key role in building up a unique business model that enables the company to constantly adapt to market changes and maintain rapid growth. She has a keen understanding of Chinese consumers and valuable insights, allowing Xiaohongshu to become a leading gauge in China's business and consumption trends.