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.

Niklas Zennström

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Atomico (UK) Partners LLP, United Kingdom

Dual degrees in Business and MSc Engineering Physics/Computer Science, Uppsala University, Sweden; final year of university at the University of Michigan. Experienced entrepreneur. Co-founded and managed globally successful technology companies including Skype, Kazaa, Joost and Joltid. From inception until Sept. 2007, Chief Executive Officer, Skype, which was sold to eBay for $3.1bn in 2005, the largest European venture capital exit to date. Subsequently, Skype was bought back by a consortium that included Niklas and was sold to Microsoft for $8.5 billion cash in 2011. Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner, Atomico, created in 2006 to help entrepreneurs primarily outside Silicon Valley scale their businesses domestically and globally. It has so far invested in more than 50 companies on four continents. Works closely with a number of leaders of portfolio companies so that they benefit from own experience as an entrepreneur.

Zhang Lu

Founding and Managing Partner, Fusion Fund, USA

Founding and Managing Partner, Fusion Fund. World Economic Forum Young Global Leader (2018). Recipient of honours and awards, including: Honouree in VC, Forbes 30 Under 30, Silicon Valley Women of Influence 2018, Town & Country 50 Modern Swans – Entrepreneurship Influencer, and Top 10 All America Chinese Youth. Formerly: Venture Partner, Fenox Venture Capital; Founder and Chief Executive Officer of a medical device company focused on non-invasive technology for the early diagnosis of Type II diabetes (acquired in 2012). Speaker at tech events and conferences and also serves as a mentor and adviser to several tech innovation programmes in Silicon Valley. Member of the Board: Youth Council of Future Forum and Future Science Award. MSc in Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University.

Zhang Yaoyu

General Manager, Global LNG and New Energies, PetroChina International, People's Republic of China

Yaoyu joined PetroChina in 2019 and is currently the General Manager responsible for Global LNG, Power, and Emissions. Before joining PetroChina, Yaoyu's career started at Shell, U.K, in 2009. Over a decade, he has held several technical and commercial positions in the UK, Netherlands, Qatar, and Singapore. He has worked across the gas value chain with experiences covering LNG projects development, M&A, and gas trading and marketing. Yaoyu graduated from the University of Cambridge with a master's degree in Technology and Policy and Heriot-Watt University with a bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering (First-Class Honors).

Fabio Ziemssen

Partner, Zintinus, Germany

Fabio Ziemssen has been working at the forefront of food-tech development in Germany and Europe for a decade to create a strong ecosystem for innovators, visionaries and founders. He has built a number of communities, including the Alternative Protein Association, Next Generation Food Think Tank and Foodnext, creating workspaces and innovation hubs, such as Food2025.de and Super7000. In 2017, he was elected by "Business Punk" as the top leader in food innovation in Germany.

Jaime Alfonso Antonio Zobel De Ayala

Chief Executive Officer of AC Mobility, Ayala, Philippines

Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala is one of the next generation leaders of Ayala Corporation, one of the Philippines’ largest and oldest conglomerates. Shortly after graduating from Harvard University, Jaime Alfonso assumed a series of key leadership roles in Ayala Corporation, including leadership of the Strategic Development Group where he drove capital deployment into high-growth sectors that have transformative impact on the Philippines’ economy and communities.

Today, Jaime Alfonso leads AC Mobility, the Ayala group’s vehicle business, where is leading the transformation of the company from a business predominantly focused on selling vehicles to an end-to-end mobility provider spanning services, infrastructure and digital platforms.

Aiken Zou Shasha

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AHA Entertainment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, People's Republic of China

Aiken Zou Shasha, the founder and current CEO of AHA Entertainment, is a renowned producer in the Chinese animation industry. She has successfully produced the highly acclaimed Netflix original animated series "Scissor Seven". Additionally, she serves as the Director of China Audiovisual and Digital Publishing Association and has been recognized as a Young Innovative Talent by the National Radio and Television Network Audiovisual Industry. Aiken also holds the position of industry mentor for Animation Major at Communication University of China's Animation and Digital Art School. Furthermore, she is a member of Beijing Youth Federation, serving as Deputy Secretary-General in their Press, Publication, and New Media sector Working Committee. In addition to her roles within these organizations, Aiken also holds the position of Vice President at Shanghai Network Audiovisual Industry Association.

In April 2022, Aiken was honored with being selected as a "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum. Later in November that same year, she received further recognition from Boao Youth Development Conference where she was awarded with the honorary title of "2022 Boao Young Leaders and Young Creators".

As a talented producer dedicated to her craft, Aiken has made “Scissor Seven” into China's first-ever Netflix original animated work. The show has been dubbed in multiple languages including Chinese, English, Spanish French,and Japanese while offering subtitles in 29 different languages. It has gained immense popularity worldwide with viewership spanning across 190 countries and regions. Through her content creation efforts on a global scale, Aiken aims to convey stories centered around love and inclusion while breaking down barriers, misunderstandings, and prejudices among young people worldwide.

Ali Zuashkiani

Chief Executive Officer, Physical Asset Management Corporation, Islamic Republic of Iran

Ali Zuashkiani is Chief Executive Officer of the Physical Asset Management Corporation, a consulting company dedicated to improving asset management practices globally, with a focus on the Middle East and Iran. As a global subject matter expert in this field, he is a frequent speaker at international events on topics related to physical asset management, maintenance and reliability. Zuashkiani is also Director of Educational Programs at the University of Toronto Centre for Asset Management. In 2003, he co-founded Knowledge Diffusion Network, an organization that aims to promote collaboration between Iranian academics living abroad with the scientific community in Iran. Later, he became Co-Founder and President of International Association of Iranian Managers, which aims to improve management knowledge and practices in Iran and the Middle East. He was recognized by the President of Iran as the most distinguished student of Iran in 1999.

Mark Zuckerberg

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Meta, USA

2004, Founder, Thefacebook.