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.

Liliana Gil Valletta

Chief Executive Officer, CULTURE+ GROUP, 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.

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.

Sanjay Gupta

Managing Partner and Founder, LinkedCap, USA

Informed by his twenty-five years of experience in turnarounds, restructuring and capital formation in Fortune 50 and Forbes 50 contexts, Sanjay provides thought-provoking insight on matters of finance, strategy and governance across a range of disciplines, including family office, private equity, venture capital, corporate development, governance, and business ethics,

Sanjay earned his AB in Philosophy from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and his MBA from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. He also studied Global Leadership and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Leadership at the Darden School of Business, Venture Capital, Private Equity and Strategic Financial Analysis at Harvard Business School, and Sustainability Studies at Stanford University.

Habib Haddad

Managing Partner, E14 Fund, USA

Habib is a tech entrepreneur, currently CEO of Wamda who aims to inspire, connect and empower entrepreneurs in the MENASA region. He is also the founder of Yamli.com a startup empowering the Arabic language on the web and YallaStartup an NGO that fosters early stage entrepreneurship in the MENA region. In 2009, the World Economic Forum recognized Habib as a Young Global Leader and the ArabianBusiness named him one of the most influential Arabs under 30. He currently serves on the Global Agenda Council on fostering entrepreneurship. During the July of 2006 war he started Relief Lebanon to support relief operations in Lebanon an effort that raised more than US$ 2 million in individual donations. Habib also co-founded INLET to leverage the North American expat community to give back to entrepreneurship in the Arab world. Habib is an adviser to several startups and non-profits and often speaks about early stage development and entrepreneurship. He holds a Bachelor of Computer and Communication Engineering from the American University in Beirut and a Master's in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Kim Hallwood

Head, Corporate Sustainability, HSBC Bank Canada, HSBC, Canada

Kim Hallwood is a sustainability professional who is passionate about using business as a catalyst for positive, long-lasting change. As a member of HSBC Bank Canada’s Executive Committee and HSBC’s global Corporate Sustainability Executive Committee, Kim shapes the development and leads the local execution of a sustainability strategy for one of the world's largest banking and financial services organizations. Under her leadership, the bank has been consistently recognized as one of Canada’s best corporate citizens and is actively managing the risks and opportunities presented by the transition to a low carbon economy. Kim has served as Director on the HSBC Global Asset Management (Canada) Board since 2020.
Kim is a World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leader. Kim has been recognized among BIV’s 500 most influential business leaders in British Columbia, WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada and Canada's Clean50 Emerging Leaders. She is Executive Sponsor of the bank’s national Balance Network which supports the recruitment, development, advancement and engagement of a gender-balanced workforce. Kim holds an MBA (Distinction) and various professional sustainability certifications.

Bicheng Han

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, BrainCo, USA

Bicheng Han is the founder and CEO of BrainCo. He is dedicated in the research and application using the technology of non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI). Bicheng found BrainCo in 2015, while he was pursuing his PhD degree at Harvard Center for Brain Science. The company has now grown into a world-leading brain-computer interface (BCI) company and the first unicorn among all BCI companies in the world. Their technology has been applied in multiple fields to help people with different needs, from neurological diseases like ADHD, Alzheimers, and Autism, to prostheses that help people with disabilities regain control over their body. For his work in BCI, he was awarded the “MIT Tech Review China 35 Innovators under 35”. Their product was selected as “Best inventions of the year” by TIME magazine.

Dave Hanley

Chief Executive Officer, Tomorrow, USA

Dave is founder and CEO of Tomorrow, a financial services app that aims to bring economic security to millions by empowering anyone to make a plan, receive free estate planning, and receive recommendations for financial products.

Previously, Dave founded Banyan Branch (acquired by Deloitte, 2013), a leading social media marketing agency that propelled blue-chip companies into the new world of engaging customers on social platforms.

Dave’s love of music and technology positioned him to lead product development for the Rhapsody Music Service, where he helped bring the service natively to the web, then to a multitude of social sites.

Dave along with Rhapsody colleagues built a social network for readers called Shelfari. Shelfari grew rapidly through solely social and viral marketing—reaching millions of members within 18 months—and was acquired by Amazon.com.

Dave’s entrepreneurial efforts in microcredit banking include founding and editing the first academic journal and the largest conference on the subject, advising education microloan innovator Vittana, and authoring *Grameen Reference* while a Fulbright scholar with Muhammad Yunus at Grameen Bank.