Community

The Forum of Young Global Leaders is a community of innovators from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Search current members and alumni by year awarded, sector or region.

Tiffany Xingyu Wang

Chief Trust and Marketing Officer, OpenWeb, USA

An award-winning marketer and social entrepreneur, Tiffany Xingyu Wang’s deep technological understanding, digital trust stewardship and marketing prowess have positioned her at the nexus of the future of media, corporate ethics and the emerging community economy.

She currently serves as the Chief Marketing & Trust Officer of OpenWeb – a role that reflects her leadership in the field. The leading community engagement platform powers over 3,000 publishers and brands and is leading the way in creating trusting spaces for healthy conversations and diverse, engaged communities in the Web3 era. At OpenWeb, Tiffany Xingyu oversees marketing as well as the entire trust and safety P&L and is working closely with the company’s vast partner networks to scale market-leading best practices.

Tiffany Xingyu is also the President and Co-founder of Oasis Consortium. As part of the nonprofit created to define a digital sustainability model for businesses, she launched first-of-their-kind User Safety Standards for Web3, minting industry-backed consensus on digital safety early in the Web3 revolution and earning interest from TIME, MIT Technology Review and more. The momentum continues with over 20 platforms, including Roblox, Pandora, Grindr, Fandom, The Meet Group and Together Labs, pledging to the standards.

Tiffany Xingyu’s pioneering approach to marketing, innovation and advocacy serves as a model for future leaders looking to drive positive change at a global scale. She’s democratizing access to critical digital trust and safety knowledge through a first-of-its-kind LinkedIn Learning course for brand leaders. Active with global organizations that are elevating the dialogue around the future of media and the web, she is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders program, the Atlantic Council’s Trust & Safety Taskforce and a board member of AdCouncil.

Prior to joining OpenWeb, Wang was the Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer at Spectrum Labs, a leading contextual AI platform that keeps over 1 billion users safe online. She also holds two USPTO patents in machine learning applications for marketing.

Tiffany Xingyu stays abreast of blockchain and quantum computing technologies through investments and advisory board roles. She’s also a venture partner at Tribe, a Singapore government-backed blockchain accelerator, where she leads investor relations in the US.

Her leadership continues to be acknowledged within the industry and the global business community. She was recently on the cover of Adweek’s first edition of 2023 in the “Year of the Tenacious CMO” feature and her work has been highlighted in leading publications including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Digiday, and VentureBeat. With further recognition from Forbes’ Most Entrepreneurial CMO List and the CMO Club’s Most Innovative Awards under her belt, Tiffany Xingyu has solidified her reputation as one of the seminal innovators of her generation.

Nolan Watson

President and Chief Executive Officer, Sandstorm Gold Ltd, Canada

President and CEO, Sandstorm Gold, a NYSE American-listed company with a market capitalization of $1.1 billion. Founder and President, Nations Cry, a registered charity building and operating schools in Sierra Leone, Africa. By the age of 26, was the youngest CFO of any NYSE-listed company in the world. Recognized as one of the "Top-40-Under-40", Canada and "CEO of the Year". In addition, Nolan is the youngest "Fellow" of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia and he has been recognized as one of the "Most Motivated" Chartered Financial Analysts in the World by CFA Magazine. Nolan is a regular contributor on various radio programs, television programs, and government conferences on topics ranging from mining, to environmental sustainability and he has been seen on CNBC, Fox Business News, BBC, BNN and CNBC Europe among others.

Adam Werbach

Head of Digital and Unscripted, Kapital Entertainment, USA

Adam Werbach is a media sustainability leader working at the intersection of technology, business and politics. He recently joined Kapital Entertainment as head of Digital and Unscripted Television and is creating shows across major networks and streamers. Previously, he developed the sustainable shopping customer experience as the Global Lead for Sustainable Shopping at Amazon.com. After a YGL journey, he founded Trove (formerly Yerdle), the re-commerce company that manages resale for Patagonia, Nordstrom's, Eileen Fisher, Arc'Teryx, and REI. He previously founded Act Now, which was acquired by Saatchi & Saatchi and the Publicis Groupe, after he helped Walmart launch its sustainability efforts. At age 23, Werbach was elected President of the Sierra Club, the oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization in the US, after helping pass the legislation to create Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks in California. He spent almost ten years producing an indie-rock documentary film entitled "This is Noise Pop," which was named one of the top five music documentaries of the year by Rolling Stone Magazine, even though it was only shown once. Werbach lives between San Francisco and Bolinas, California with his wife Lyn and their three kids, Mila, Pearl and Simon.

Raylene Whitford

Director, Canative Energy, Canada

Raylene Whitford is a Cree-Métis iskewew (woman) from Treaty 6 territory in Canada. The first in her family to graduate from university, Whitford began her career as a chartered accountant with KPMG in London. She has held leadership roles in various organizations around the world, including in a company listed on the London Stock Exchange, delivering a $40 billion capital efficiency project for an integrated energy company in the Middle East, and working with Indigenous businesses in Ecuador. In 2019, Whitford returned to Canada specifically to advance Indigenous participation in the energy transition. She is a member of the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board and Chairman of TC Energy's Indigenous Advisory Council. She is also Founder of INDIGI-X, a global exchange connecting Indigenous leaders in Canada, Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Ted Wiley

Co-Founder and President, Form Energy Inc, USA

Ted Wiley is the Co-founder and President of Form Energy (formerly Baseload Renewables), a startup company developing ultra-low cost, long duration energy storage to enable a 100% renewable energy future. Previously, Ted was president and of McDonough Innovation, a consulting and product development company focused on helping companies implement cradle to cradle and circular economy principles developed by William McDonough. Prior to McDonough Innovation Ted was a co-founder of and head of product at Aquion Energy, a start-up that manufactures sustainable, cost-effective batteries for stationary energy storage applications. Prior to Aquion, Wiley was a Senior Associate at Hudson Clean Energy Partners where he worked on biofuels and solar investments. Before Hudson, he served as a captain in the US Army. As a platoon leader for the 1-23 Infantry Battalion, he spent a year in Iraq leading combat missions and helping to organize the country's first free elections. Wiley earned a BSc in Physics at Seattle University and an MBA from Harvard Business School with concentrations in clean technology entrepreneurship.

will.i.am

Founder and President, i.am Angel Foundation, USA

Creative innovator, Futurist, entertainer, producer, technology investor, and Founder & CEO, FYI.AI. Member: World Economic Forum Fourth Industrial Revolution Advisory Committee. Honorary Fellow, Institutions of Engineering and Technology. Recipient: James C. Morgan Global Humanitarian Award (2023), TIME 100 IMPACT Award (2022), seven Grammy Awards; Emmy; CLIO; World Economic Forum Crystal Award (2016).

As an advocate for STEAM education, started i.am Angel Foundation, which uses project-based learning modules to deliver STEAM education for at-risk youth via dedicated STEM Academy preparatory schools, after-school tutoring and enrichment activities within the US. At-risk students participate in project-based learning modules for robotics, coding, app development, geographic information system mapping, and study Mandarin Chinese. The i.am Angel Foundation recently teamed with the Los Angeles Unified School District, America's second-largest state-run public school system to offer robotics clubs as an official after-school activity, with capacity to serve 12,000+students. Keeping child safety and protection at the forefront in the US as pertains to school and community shootings that urgently require gun safety law reform, Co-Executive Producer, "Parkland Rising", a documentary film about the students and families that survived a mass school shooting and their journey as advocates for US gun safety reform. Interests: promoting the health and planetary benefits of a plant-based (Vegan) diet; alternative energy-powered cars.

Kiah Williams

Co-Founder and Managing Director, Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine - SIRUM, USA

Kiah Williams is Co-Founder and Managing Director of SIRUM, a non-profit social enterprise that drives the future of healthcare by connecting people with surplus medications. Prior to SIRUM, Williams helped create the Alliance Healthcare Initiative, a public-private partnership spearheaded by the American Heart Association and Clinton Foundation that engaged Fortune 500 companies to expand healthcare benefits for 2 million children. Her work at SIRUM has been recognized by Forbes 30-Under-30 and Marie Claire's America's 50 Most Influential Women. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University.

Michele Wucker

Chief Executive Officer, Gray Rhino & Company, USA

Author of THE GRAY RHINO and YOU ARE WHAT YOU RISK. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Gray Rhino & Company. Founding Faculty and Stakeholder Supervisory Board Member, DCRO Risk Governance Institute. Advisor to APRI Armenia, IRM India, and Preventable Surprises. YGL Board Service Initiative. Former: Vice-President of Studies, Chicago Council on Global Affairs; President, World Policy Institute; Latin America Bureau Chief, International Financing Review. Member: Council on Foreign Relations, Authors Guild. Mentor-Editor, The OpEd Project; Sisters on the Planet Ambassador, Oxfam. Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum (2009). Guggenheim Fellow. Also author of Lockout and Why the Cocks Fight.

Yang Lin

President, Innovation Ideas Institute, USA

Lin is named as a Young Global Leader and New Champion with the World Economic Forum. She is a seasoned cross-discipline, cross-culture entrepreneur, executive and former TV News Anchor; Her career spans across Business-Policy-Media; Founder of Innovation Ideas Institute dedicated to foster Innovation thought leadership; With uniquely combined background in TV+VC+higher education, currently building The INNOVATORS, the 1st virtual & visual innovation eco-system for academia, industry leaders, startup disruptors, venture capitalists, and policy makers. She also had extensive experiences in think tanks on international relations.

Her professional footprint ranges from broadcasting at the world's largest TV studios to researching and lecturing at the finest universities to building entrepreneurial 3i think tank and INNOVATORS platform; from fireside chats with policy makers, multinational business leaders to interviews with the most cutting edge startup founders; from researching with farmers in rural mountains to studying the smart manufacturing 4.0 factories; from conversing with Uber drivers in cities around the world to discussing with the brightest minds in US-China policy…

Songyee Yoon

Chairman, NC Foundation, USA

Songyee Yoon is a successful entrepreneur, innovator, and investor. As the President and Chief Strategy Officer of NCSOFT (KRX:036570), a global leader in online game development and publishing, Yoon played a pivotal role in guiding the company through AI transformation. She utilized cutting-edge technology for game development and improved various aspects of the business. Under her insightful leadership, NCSOFT's workforce grew from 350 employees to a team of 5,000 professionals across seven countries in Asia, Europe, and North America, and the company's revenue surpassed 2 billion USD.

As the founder and managing partner of Chamaeleon, a quant and tech-based early stage venture capital firm, she invests in innovative startups at the intersection of gaming, AI, and consumer technology. Yoon's strategic expertise spans a wide range of domains, including early monetization strategy, organizational development, marketing, branding, business development and partnerships, licensing, and other strategic initiatives that have cemented NCSOFT's position as a market leader. She chaired the ESG committee and NC University, demonstrating her commitment to fostering responsible business practices and nurturing talent within the organization.

Yoon is the chairperson and founder of the NCSOFT Cultural Foundation, she actively engages herself in various philanthropic initiatives including main sponsor for Special Olympics, collaboration with UN Food Program and UNHCR. In an effort to support working parents, Yoon personally oversaw the development of the “Laughing Peanut,” a daycare facility that accommodates 400 children and is located at the NCSOFT R&D center. She also oversaw the development of “Projectory,” a program for nurturing and fostering creativity.

Yoon has supported AI and ethics education at higher education institutions through the Embedded EthiCS program at MIT, Harvard, and Stanford Universities. Her passion for this topic led her to publish a book, The Most Humane Future, which is one of the most cited books on the ethical development of AI in Korea. Yoon also served as an advisory board member of the Center for Asia Pacific Policy and a visiting fellow at the Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy at RAND, where she continues to explore the social impacts of AI, equity, and the ethical sides of technology.

Songyee holds a Ph.D. in Computational Neuroscience from MIT, where she also serves as a board member. She is an inaugural member of the Advisory Council of Stanford University's Human-Centered AI and has served on South Korea's Presidential Advisory Council for Science and Technology under two presidents. She has also been serving on the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace board. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea, was named one of the 50 Women to Watch in Business by the Wall Street Journal, and also was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum

Kaliya Young

Director, Networks, Planetwork, USA

Kaliya is a leading expert on blockchain and Identity also known as self-sovereign Identity. She served from 2012-2015 on the Management Council for the Identity Ecosystem Steering Group an Obama Administration effort to make the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace real. 2010, Founder, Personal Data Ecosystem Consortium. 2005, Co-Founder, Co-Producer, Facilitator, Internet Identity Workshop. Works with Planetwork to grow open standards-based infrastructure for citizens and organizations to connect outside of commercial silos/platforms. Inspiration to transform how the internet works comes from their work in the early 2000s and the paper they published in 2003: Augmented Social Network: Building Identity and Trust in the Next Generation Internet.

Has a parallel independent career designing and facilitating unconferences (interactive participant driven conferences) for a range of professional communities worldwide.

She has a Master of Science in Identity Management and Security from University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, focused on Political, Economic and Human Rights, University of California, Berkeley. She also played on their varsity water polo team and was a member of the Canadian National Water Polo Team.

Monica Yunus

Co-Founder, Sing for Hope, USA

A leading voice in the artist as citizen discussion, Soprano Monica Yunus is the Co-Founder of Sing for Hope, a leading non-profit that brings arts outreach programs to communities in need and presents initiatives that make the arts accessible to all. An internationally-renowned soprano, Monica has performed with the world's leading companies and in recitals in Spain, France, and her native Bangladesh. She has been honored with a 21st Century Leaders Award and, received a US Congressional Citation, among other honors. The daughter of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Monica is a graduate of The Juilliard School.