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.

Joe Gebbia

Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder, Airbnb, USA

Degrees in Graphic Design and Industrial Design, Rhode Island School of Design. Formerly: Designer, Chronicle Books; Previously developed web and consumer product startups. Currently, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Airbnb. He plays a leading role in shaping Airbnb’s future innovation, distinctive culture, and design aesthetic, and through his work, seeks to expand the richness of human connection in the world.

Jared Genser

Co-Founder and General Counsel, The NeuroRights Foundation, USA

Jared Genser is Managing Director of Perseus Strategies, Special Advisor on the Responsibility to Protect to the Organization of American States, and General Counsel to the NeuroRights Foundation. Referred to by the New York Times as “The Extractor” for his work freeing political prisoners, he has served as pro bono counsel to five Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, including the last three Laureates who won their Prize while imprisoned — Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma, 2006-2010), Liu Xiaobo (China, 2010-2017), and Ales Bialiatski (Belarus, 2023-Present) — as well as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Elie Wiesel. Genser was previously a partner in the government affairs practice of DLA Piper LLP and a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. And he has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and the University of Michigan Law School. His most recent book is The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Commentary and Guide to Practice (Cambridge University Press). And he is currently working with former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on a new co-edited volume for Oxford University Press entitled The Oxford Handbook on the UN Human Rights System. He holds a B.S. from Cornell University, an M.P.P. from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a J.D. cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School.

Nili Gilbert

Vice-Chairwoman, Carbon Direct, USA

Nili Gilbert, CFA, CAIA, is the Vice Chairwoman of Carbon Direct, a leader in scaling carbon management into a global industry through climate investment, technology, and client advisory.

She is also Chair of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero’s (GFANZ) Advisory Panel of technical experts, as well as a member of its CEO Principals Group. In addition to serving as a Chairwoman of both the David Rockefeller Fund and the Synergos Institute Investment Committees, Nili is an Independent Board Director of Brookfield Asset Management. She is also a Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and a member of the Clinton Global Initiative Advisory Council.

Previously, she was Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager of Matarin Capital, which became one of the larger women-owned asset managers in the US. She also previously served as a member of the State of California’s Climate-Related Financial Risk Advisory Group, the Social Mission Board of Seventh Generation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unilever, and the TED Vision Council. Her TED Talk on climate finance has received nearly 2 million views.

She has been honored among Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance, as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, LinkedIn “TopVoice” in Finance, Entrepreneur of the Year by the National Association of Securities Professionals, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek “One to Watch.” She is a permanent member of both the Council on Foreign Relations and the Economic Club of New York.

Nili received her BA, magna cum laude, from Harvard University, her MBA from Columbia Business School, where she was a Toigo Fellow, and she has completed programs in leadership and sustainability at Oxford and Stanford Universities.

Liliana Gil Valletta

Chief Executive Officer, CIEN+, USA

Liliana Gil Valletta is an entrepreneur and Co-Founder of CIEN+ and CulturIntel, a big data analytics, consulting and marketing firm, specialized in understanding and tapping the full power of diverse-growing markets. She is also a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader since 2012. She's the creator of published methodologies of Cultural Intelligence and has developed a novel platform to use machine learning, artificial intelligence and big data tools to turn global digital discussions into actionable insights, particularly applied to solve social, health and equity gaps by mapping decisions journeys across segments, globally. Prior, she held a number of positions in global corporations, including at Johnson & Johnson where she founded the Hispanic Organization for Leadership and Achievement (HOLA) and pioneered multicultural marketing. Gil Valletta is an independent TV contributor seen weekly on CNN en Español, Fox News, and Fox Business, among others analyzing today's economic trends, data insights and minority affairs. She is an independent director/ board member for Zumiez (NASQD: ZUMZ), she also serves as Member of the Harvard Kennedy's School Women's Leadership Board, YMCA USA Board of Directors and mentor to the Stanford Latino Entrepreneur Leaders Program. She has received numerous awards, including 2018 Hispanic Businessperson of the Year by the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 2018 Top Innovation Catalyst by MM&M, 2017 Top 50 Most Influential in Healthcare, 2017 Latina Trailblazer of the Year, New York's 25 Top Rising Latinos, Latino Leaders Magazine (2013); Outstanding Business Woman, National Association of Professional Women (2009-10); Latina Leadership Award, League of United Latin American Citizens (2009); and Top 20 Under 40 by PODER (2008). Gil Valletta holds a BA from Southwestern Adventist University, an MBA from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and an executive degree from the Harvard Kennedy School in Global Leadership and Public Policy.

Marissa Giustina

Research Scientist and Quantum Electronics Engineer, Google, USA

Marissa Giustina is a staff research scientist and quantum electronics engineer. She developed and deployed superconducting device packaging that enabled Google’s unprecedentedly capable “quantum supreme” Sycamore processor. As head of device packaging and co-author of the team’s roadmap, Giustina is responsible for both research and engineering developments in the device integration that lies at the heart of the quantum computing hardware system. Giustina studied engineering at Dartmouth College with a focus on electrical and materials engineering, moving to foundational research in experimental quantum physics at Uni of Vienna. For her PhD (advised by quantum pioneer Anton Zeilinger), she designed and built a 60-meter-long precision apparatus, leading a local team and collaborating with senior scientists at five institutions to settle a 50-year outstanding challenge in the foundations of quantum mechanics. Giustina joined Google in 2016. As Google Quantum AI’s first female scientist, she helped grow the team to ~150 members. She is a highly sought-after speaker: as Senior Technical Spokesperson for Policy Engagements, she represents Google to prominent global academic, government, and media audiences. She prioritizes meeting students, especially from underrepresented backgrounds, undertaking one-on-one mentorships. Giustina featured in Fortune’s 40 Under 40, and Future 50. She served on US National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee as its youngest member (2020-22)

Yair Goldfinger

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AppCard Inc., USA

Yair Goldfinger is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AppCard, a loyalty 3.0 platform. Previously, he co-founded and was Chief Technology Officer of Dotomi, an on-line advertising company which focuses on creating personal, relevant and timely one-to-one messaging between marketers and their customers; Dotomi was acquired by ValueClick at 2011. At 26, Goldfinger co-founded ICQ, the world's first Internet-wide instant messaging service, which was acquired by AOL in 1998. He holds several patents in the area of instant messaging. Goldfinger is an active investor in several Israeli start-up companies. He is also a co-founder and sits on the management committee of the Friends of Raveh Ravid Fund, dedicated to the creation and formation of a new generation of young educated leaders who will take a part in management and leadership roles. Goldfinger holds a BA in Math and Computer Science from Tel Aviv University and was granted the Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award in 2005.

Ellen Gonda

Communications Adviser, EDG Consulting, USA

Ellen Gonda counsels public and private companies and individuals in various capacities, particularly during critical inflection points. She is a passionate and strategic communications professional with global experience across industries and disciplines. Ellen's clients have included The Rise Fund, Innit, and Overture Partners. Ellen has held top communications roles at Etsy, where she led Communications, Values and Alignment, at Hilton Worldwide, as the Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Communications and Corporate Responsibility, and at The Carlyle Group, where she was the Vice President and Director of Communications for the Americas. She began her career in the agency world, with positions at Brunswick Group, Gavin Anderson & Company, and Abernathy MacGregor Frank. Ellen graduated with high honours from the University of California, Berkeley.

Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty

Senior Vice-President, Delivery, Uber Technologies, USA

As Senior Vice President for Delivery, and member of the management board, Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty oversees the company's on-demand delivery efforts, including the Uber Eats app, which operates in more than 6,000 cities around the world. Prior to this role, he served as the Vice President for Uber's ride-hailing business outside of North America. After spending time at Goldman Sachs, starting a hedge fund at the age of 26, and harnessing a big urge to build something, Pierre joined Uber as the General Manager of France in 2012, launching Paris, Uber’s first international city. As one of the earliest members of the team, he scaled Uber across Europe before taking on the challenge of international expansion. He now brings his experience and expertise to Uber Eats. As a business leader, Pierre champions diversity and inclusion, and has become a driving force to empower women within and outside Uber. Pierre is an Executive Sponsor of the Women of Uber Employee Resource Group and a strong proponent of new ways to attract and retain female talent at Uber. He is a French citizen and lives in Amsterdam with his wife and two sons.

Soulaima Gourani

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Happioh Inc., USA

CEO/ co-founder of Happioh Inc. Palo Alto.

Happioh SaaS B2B software helps teams achieve their productive meeting goals and avoid low-quality meeting hours.

Executive Education from Yale, Harvard, Wharton, Indian School Of Business, University of Cambridge, Wharton, INCAE Business School, Nanyang Technological University, and MBA from Copenhagen Business School.

Born in Morocco and raised in Denmark. Awarded with the WEF Young Global Leader (YGL). Nominated the Thinkers50 Ideas into Practice Award alongside Reid Hoffman in 2019. Thinkers50 Radar Award, 2020, Nordic Thinkers 20 alongside Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA, and "40 under 40 Europe". Mentor at Olam Ventures, board member at "The Aventures" fund, and Judge at Entrepreneur Of The Year®.

Author of 3 books/ co-author of 16 books.

A former executive at Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, and Maersk as responsible for early-stage software, global sales/deployment/distribution, consulting, and engineering teams (45 direct reports). 25 + years of tech experience.

Megan Greenfield

Partner, McKinsey & Company, USA

Megan Greenfield, Ph.D., Partner with McKinsey & Company, is a recognized leader in healthcare, COVID-19 economic recovery, and advancing equity in the workplace. Megan works with healthcare companies across the value chain on how to drive growth. She helped design one of the first state-level COVID-19 economic recovery plans in the United States, building a framework that has been adopted by states, cities, and organizations nationwide. Megan is a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and researches ways for employers to understand gender and racial bias within their companies (processes, benefits, etc.) so they can make changes to support their diverse employees. Megan has led numerous DEI executive meetings, authored several white papers, and is leading many DEI initiatives within McKinsey. Megan received her Ph.D. from Northwestern University in chemical and biological engineering and she holds a B.S. degree from the California Institute of Technology, where she majored in chemical engineering. Megan is a WEF Young Global Leader (Class of 2021) and on the Board of Advisors of the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts.

Kristin Groos Richmond

Chair of the Board, Revolution Foods, USA

Kristin Groos Richmond founded Revolution Foods in 2005 with Kirsten Tobey to transform the way we feed our students. Kristin continues to lead the growth of the company, which now serves over one million freshly prepared meals every week, across the country and recently, into grocery stores. Prior to founding Revolution Foods, Kristin’s career spanned from corporate finance to education reform including co-founding the Kenya Community Center for Learning and serving as Vice President at RISE. Kristin was on the White House Council for Community Solutions and is an Aspen Institute Entrepreneurial Leaders In Public Education Fellow, an Education Pioneers Fellow and an Ashoka Fellow. She is a board member of Lighthouse Community Charter School and UC Berkeley’s Global Social Venture Competition. Kristin was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and, with Kirsten, is one of Time Magazine's Education Activists of 2011.

Fernando Grostein Andrade

Filmmaker, FilmSoul Studios, USA

Fernando Grostein Andrade is a Brazilian filmmaker that directed “Abe”, starring Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things), Seu Jorge (City of God) and Mark Margolis (Breaking Bad). “Abe” has been accepted into 27 festivals, premiering at Sundance and won the Children Jury Award at the 31st Kinder Film Festival in Vienna and the Audience Award for Best Narrative at the Washington Jewish Film Festival. The film will be theatrically released in 38 countries in 2020. Fernando has moved to Los Angeles and is represented by Untitled Entertainment. Fernando created and directed Quebrando o Tabu, a film that discusses alternative solutions to the war on drugs featuring 6 chiefs of state, including Jimmy Carter and Fernando Henrique Cardoso. The film was distributed in 22 countries and became a 2 season 10-episode TV series, show-run by Fernando and received the Mipcom Diversify TV Excellence Award in Cannes. “Quebrando o Tabu” also spun off into an online media channel with 10 million followers becoming the major human rights internet outlet in Brazil with the biggest engagement rate on facebook among all Brazilian media. Fernando was also one of the idealizers of Carcereiros, a 2017 MIPTV drama award-winning TV series, of which he directed 5 episodes. Fernando was a member of the jury of “É Tudo Verdade" as well as the Netflix Prize for Brazilian cinema. He reactivated a theater group formed by inmates inside a maximum-security penitentiary called “Do Lado de Ca”, later cast in many productions. Fernando co founded “Mapa Educação”, a youth movement that advocates for quality in public education in Brasil and directed the documentary “Wandering Heart”, with Caetano Veloso and special appearances of Almodóvar, Antonioni and Giselle Bündchen. With a growing online presence, Fernando coming out video on YouTube had 250k views and started an online debate about acceptance in Brazil.