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.

Mandla Sibeko

Founder, Seed Capital Ventures, South Africa

Mandla Sibeko set up his own investment business, Seed Capital Investments, through which he has various interests in the small business sector. Through this company, he has partaken in a number of related media, retail, property and e-procurement acquisitions, including becoming the owner of the Pick n Pay Family Supermarket in Kliptown, Soweto. He also holds a 40% stake in Icon SA, a partnership with a UK-based global stadium and City dressing company that branded the 2006 German FIFA World Cup. Mandla Sibeko ventured into the media industry by creating his own production company. In addition, Mr. Sibeko is a founding member of several investment initiatives focusing on the empowerment of young people, with key investments in food, retail, media and clothing industries. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director of Paarl Print and Paarl Print, Paarl Labs – the largest magazine and commercial printer in South Africa and part of Media 24 Group, Mandla serves as Director of the FNB Joburg Art Fair, the largest Art Fair in Africa.

Izkia Siches

Izkia Siches Pastén, MD, is a graduate of the Universidad de Chile Medical School and trained in internal medicine at the same university. She works in the Infectious Diseases Unit of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santiago de Chile since 2018, one of the most reputed Infectious Diseases units in Chile. She is also a member of the board of directors of the NGO "Médicos Sin Marca" which seeks to promote evidence-based clinical practice, free from pharmaceutical influences. In 2017, after a superlative performance as a student union representative, she assumed the Chilean College of Physicians' presidency, being the first woman in this position and recently reelected in 2020 for a second period. Nowadays, after the social outbreak in Chile in October 2019, she leads the most valued institution for the Chilean population in a convoluted country. Notably, she and the Human Rights department of the Chilean College of Physicians have denounced the use of kinetic impact projectiles by the police, which resulted in severe ocular trauma and permanent disability to thousands of Chileans during the social outbreak. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been advised by a reputed group of experts from different disciplines, being the voice of evidence-based recommendations and interventions that connect with common sense and most disadvantaged populations. Siches has been the counterweight of a government with one of the highest mortality and contagion rates. Today, she still works in the pandemic response and argues for health rights in her country's new constitution, about to be written in April 2021.

Asma Siddiki

Executive Director, Education, Diriyah Gate Development Authority, Saudi Arabia

Asma Siddiki is Executive Director of Education at the Diriyah Foundation of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Previously, she served at the Prince Mohammad bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship in KAEC, Saudi Arabia, as the Interim Dean, as well as the Founding Dean for Student Affairs since 2016, to which positions she was seconded from her role as Senior Director for Special Projects at Emaar Economic City in KAEC.

Asma is also the Founder & ex-Chief Executive Officer of Oxbridge Learning Limited (previously Alpha1Education) that organizes Oxbridge Summers, a summer school program at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She is an Education Management Consultant and previously served as Director for Global Higher Education at the Huron Consulting Group in Dubai and Riyadh.

Her earlier roles include Associate Dean for Development and Director of Degree Programs at the Dubai School of Government and Vice-Dean at Effat University. Siddiki is currently on the Executive Committee of the Saudi British Society based in London.

She earned a DPhil from the University of Oxford, and was educated in Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and England.

Lutfey Siddiqi

Visiting Professor-in-Practice, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom

Visiting Professor-in-Practice at London School of Economics. Adjunct Professor, National University of Singapore. Distinguished Fellow at Policy Research Institute, Bangladesh. Previously with UBS Investment Bank: Global Head of Emerging Markets, FX Rates & Credit (FRC), CFA Institute Executive Leadership Team; Advisory Board, LSE Systemic Risk Centre, LSE Inclusion Initiative, NUS Centre for Governance & Sustainability. Governing Board, UWC Atlantic. World Economic Forum Young Global leader, Global Futures Council; and Contributor to Risk, Finance, Inclusive Growth, Capital Markets. CFA Future of Finance, former Member, CFA Singapore Board, Governing Board of NCC London.

Susana Sierra

Chief Executive Officer, BH Compliance, USA

Susana Sierra is a global leader in the field of compliance and corporate governance, recognized for her influential work in promoting transparency, ethics, and good practices in the private sector.

Ms. Sierra is the CEO of BH Compliance. This company measures the effectiveness of existing corporate governance programs, allowing global companies to evaluate the efficacy of their good practices and identify gaps that can lead to white-collar crime and corruption. The platform also measures governance [G] policies to strengthen a company's ESG criteria.

In 2020, Ms. Sierra was recognized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a Young Global Leader (YGL), which aims to strengthen the leadership skills of influential professionals to advance a global sustainable future.

Between 2016 and 2022, she was a board member of the Chilean chapter of Transparency International, Chile Transparente, serving as President between 2020 and 2022; she was also Co-Chair of a high-level commission responsible for defining Transparency International's strategy for 2030.

She also has experience in the field of entrepreneurship. She founded the Independizate Foundation, a civil society organization that aims to provide methodological support to entrepreneurs in various fields, mostly professionals who have decided to work for themselves and require support in their business models in a competitive environment and demanding market.

Ms. Sierra sits on the boards of the Chilean-North American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Chile) and the Financial & International Business Association (FIBA) in Miami. She is also a member of the Forbes Business Council.

Ms. Sierra's influence extends globally, as seen in her engagements as a speaker at prestigious events such as the #RISK London 2023, Nexus 2023, the Cities Summit of the Americas 2023, and the IX Summit of the Americas, among others.

Ms. Sierra's impact is acknowledged at national and international levels. She was recently recognized as CEO of the Year by The Women in Governance, Risk & Compliance, as well as the "Female Entrepreneur of the Year" Award by TITAN Awards Women in Business. Her outstanding leadership has been acknowledged three times with the "100 Mujeres Líderes" award in Chile. Furthermore, she received the "Hispanic Leadership Award" in the Business Award category from the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Miami, and in 2018, Ms. Sierra was honored with the "Women Who Make a Difference" award by the International Women Forum in the United States.

In the academic world, from 2014 to 2020, she was co-director of the Compliance and Corporate Best Practices Diploma at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC). In addition, she is a professor of the MBA UC and other universities worldwide.

She is currently based in Miami.

Landry Signé

Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development Program, Brookings Institution, USA

Professor Landry Signé is a world-renowned professor, award-winning author, innovative educator, distinguished futurist, and extraordinary global leader who has won over 80 prestigious awards and distinctions, with experience in top institutions such as Stanford University, the University of Oxford, the World Economic Forum, the Brookings Institution, Georgetown University, and the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and testimonies before the United States Senate, the U. S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. International Trade Commission.

He is widely recognized for his bold strategies bridging ideas and actions to solve some of the world’s most complex challenges while seizing opportunities related to the global political economy; global governance and multilateralism; the Fourth Industrial Revolution, emerging technology, and how they transform governments, industries, and societies; the future of technology policy; global business and emerging markets; and the political economy of development and Africa, building inclusive prosperity and sustainability worldwide.

He was named one of the World Economic Forum’s “top [50] foremost future-oriented leaders” in the world, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader for “finding innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues,” one of the “100 Most Influential Africans in the world” and “Thought leader extraordinaire” by New Africa Magazine, one of the “most creative thinkers” (Carnegie Corporation of New York), and one of “Apolitical’s 100 Most Influential Academics in Government” in the world, among others.

He is Executive Director and Professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Washington, DC, as well as Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University, Executive Chairman of the Africa House, Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Regional Action Group for Africa, and member of the Global Future Council on the Future of Technology Policy, among others. He is also a Senior Adviser to top global leaders (presidential, ministerial, and C-suite levels) and the author of numerous books published by the world’s #1 ranked academic press in the field (Cambridge University Press).

Judy Sikuza

Chief Executive Officer, The Mandela Rhodes Foundation, South Africa

Judy Sikuza, CEO of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation, is a fervent advocate of education and leadership as catalysts for positive change. With a background in organizational development, she navigates challenges in both the private and development sectors. Honoured as a Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South African and an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, Sikuza’s leadership is acclaimed. Internationally sought-after for her expertise, she addresses prestigious events and contributes thought leadership on resilience, transformation and nation-building. With degrees from Nelson Mandela University and Columbia University, she blends academic excellence with practical experience, embodying a holistic approach to her impactful work.

Rohan Silva

Founder, Second Home, Australia

I'm founder and CEO of Second Home, a socially responsible business that supports entrepreneurship and job creation in cities around the world. Second Home has raised over £50 million in funding from some of the world's leading investors, including DST Global founder Yuri Milner, Tencent founder Martin Lau, Index Ventures, Atomico and the founders of Zoopla, M&C Saatchi and Endemol.

I was previously Senior Policy Adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron, where he worked across all areas of policy, but was particularly passionate about enterprise, innovation and technology. He was responsible for developing key policies to improve the environment for enterprise in the UK, such as the Entrepreneur Visa, Entrepreneur Relief, angel investment tax breaks, and the Government's Open Data agenda.

In addition, I created the British Government's Tech City initiative, which supports the growth of the technology cluster in East London, and also instigated the Government's Life Science Strategy in 2011, as well as the follow-up strategy in 2012 focused on genomics and bioinformatics.

I'm also a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art and a World Economic Forum ‘Young Global Leader’.

António Simões

Group Chief Executive Officer, Legal & General Group Plc, United Kingdom

António Simões is the Group CEO for Legal & General Group, his appointment to take effect on 1 January 2024.

Prior to joining Legal & General, António was the CEO of Santander Spain and Regional Head of Europe since April 2021 and September 2020, respectively.

Before joining Santander, António spent 13 years at HSBC in a series of executive positions in London and Hong Kong; starting with strategy and M&A and then moving to leading different businesses as UK/European CEO and finally, global CEO of private banking. Prior to that, he was a partner at McKinsey & Company working in financial services across several geographies.

António studied in Lisbon (Nova School of Business and Economics), Milan (Bocconi) and the United States (MBA from Columbia University). In 2009, he was appointed a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and a few years later completed a WEF leadership programme at Harvard Kennedy School. António was previously a member of the Practitioner Panel of the Financial Conduct Authority from July 2013 and was chair of the panel from August 2015 to August 2017. He was also a member of the Practitioner Panel of the Prudential Regulation Authority.

He is a vocal campaigner on youth unemployment issues and has been involved with the Prince’s Trust since 2012. He became a Trustee of Prince’s Trust International in 2018.

He is married and currently lives with his husband and two children between London and Madrid.

Bright Simons

President, mPedigree, Ghana

2006-13: Vice President, IMANI; 2013 - Present: Honorary Vice President, IMANI; 2009: Consultant, World Bank Africa Plan; 2012: Consultant, UNECA; 2009: United Nations Secretary-General's Innovation Working Group Taskforce on Maternal Health; Member, APHRC Board; Member, RED Media Board; 2018: George Mallinkrodt & Adrian Cheng Fellow, Harvard University; 2003: Fellow, UKPPARC; 2006: Fellow, Berlin Institute of Comparative Social Research; 2009: Fellow, TED; Fellow, Archbishop Tutu; 2009: Recipient, Tech Museum Laureate; 2016: Fortune Global 50 (World's Greatest Leaders); Aspen AGLN ALIWA & Braddock Fellow; 2019 Skoll Awardee; 2017 Tallberg Eliasson Global Leadership Prize Laureate.

Jagmeet Singh

Leader, Canada's New Democrats, New Democratic Party of Canada, Canada

Jagmeet Singh was born in Scarborough, Ontario and spent some time growing up on Canada's East coast before moving back to Southern Ontario. As a kid, he often felt on the margins and left out. That made him more determined to be himself. That’s why he grew up to defend the rights of others to be seen and heard for themselves. Jagmeet went to law school to stack his tool box to fight the powerful forces of poverty and racism. As a lawyer, he knew he could help those with little power and money to assert their own rights. He campaigned with anti-poverty groups and immigrant and refugee organizations for changes that would make people’s lives better. As a young man, his father became ill and he had to step up to care for his family. He experienced precarity and understood how important it is to have people around who care and can help. That’s just one of the reasons why he wants to help others. Jagmeet decided to run for office because too many government choices were hurting people, rather than helping them get ahead. As an MPP, Jagmeet took on auto insurance companies to end the exploitation of people. He fought for fair coverage at a fair price. Jagmeet also fought for workers at temporary job agencies so that they could get the security they deserve. He was tenacious about convincing the government to commit to ending arbitrary street checks or ‘carding’. As Leader of Canada’s NDP, Jagmeet believes that how we pay for and deliver services to Canadians must work everyone.

Navrina Singh

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Credo AI, USA

Navrina is the Founder & CEO of Credo AI , an AI governance platform that empowers organizations to adopt, use & build artificial intelligence /Generative AI responsibly . Credo AI ensures safe, secure, fair ,compliant and auditable development and use of AI. As the pioneer in context driven, continuous and comprehensive AI governance , Credo AI's SaaS enables enterprise to measure, monitor and manage AI introduced risks at scale , ensures regulatory compliance and empowers enterprises to deliver Responsible AI. Credo AI is recognized as a WEF technology pioneer 2021, CBInsights top AI 100 2023 , among others & serves on the WEF AI governance council.

A technology leader with over 18+ years experience in Enterprise SaaS, AI and Mobile, Navrina has held multiple product and business leadership roles at Microsoft and Qualcomm. Navrina is a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (NAIAC), which advises the United States President and the National AI Initiative Office. Navrina is also a young global leader with the World economic forum & was on their future council for AI guiding policies & regulations in responsible AI.

Navrina holds a Masters in Electrical & Computer Engineering from University of Wisconsin -Madison & an MBA from Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California.