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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.

Fahad Al-Dhubaib
Fahad K. Al Dhubaib is the Senior Vice President of Strategy and Market Analysis at Aramco.
Prior to his current role, he was the General Manager of Public Affairs. During which, Al Dhubaib led the transformation of the Company’s communication, marketing and Citizenship functions and programs. In addition, he was involved in the company’s first global advertisement program and its venture into global sports sponsorships like Fromula1.
From 2014 to 2017, Al Dhubaib served as a Director in Aramco’s New Business Development where he led teams in developing and executing commercially strategic multibillion-dollar transactions related to Maritime Development, Energy Industrial City, Third Party Projects, and in Aramco’s Planning and Performance Management Department, before joining Investor Relations.
Al Dhubaib spent his early career as an Engineer in Project Management. He moved to strategic and transformational management after joining Corporate Planning with a focus on economic and energy outlook. Al Dhubaib supported the company’s senior leadership in the Corporate Strategic Review that led to the energy industry’s most ambitious program, the Accelerated Transformation Program (ATP). This enabled him to play a key role in the Strategic Transformation Office overseeing the 15 initiative teams formulating and implementing their respective game changing strategies and plans.
Al Dhubaib was seconded to the Supreme Economic Council at Saudi Arabia’s Royal Court. As the Director of National Strategic Programs, he oversaw a variety of government-led investment programs; policy analysis and formulation; and an integrated view on socioeconomic issues, including diversification, labor market and subsidy reforms, and entrepreneurship.
Al Dhubaib holds a B.S degree in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and a M.A in Economics from the University of Southern California – both with highest honors. He also completed several executive programs at Stanford University; the Harvard Kennedy School of Government; and Oxford University. He also completed the General Management Program, and is an alumni, at Harvard Business School.
Al Dhubaib was a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Future Council on Energy, and selected as a WEF Young Global Leader (YGL) in 2015, and served as a member of the YGL Advisory Board. He was also President and
co-founder of the Saudi Association for Energy Economics, and a board member of the International Association for Energy Economics.

Omar K. Alghanim
1997, BS in Business Commerce, NYU Stern School of Business; 2002, MBA, Harvard Business School. Currently, Group Chief Executive Officer, Alghanim, a Kuwait-based company that owns and operates businesses, investments and assets all over the world, with more than 30 businesses in 40 countries. Chairman, Gulf Bank, a leading financial institution in the region.
Former Chair, MENA Regional Business Council, World Economic Forum. Chair, A New Vision for Arab Employment; Co-Chair, World Economic Forum on MENA 2015; Young Global Leader alumnus, World Economic Forum. Member of the International Business Council. Ongoing UN High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) partner, signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to educate and train Syrian youth and children. Member: Board of the Dean’s Advisors and the MENA Advisory Board (MENAAB), Harvard Business School. Member: Leadership Council for Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. Chairman, Family Business Council – GULF (FBCG), a nonprofit membership organization established to improve long-term governance among family-owned businesses, which account for 90 percent of the regional private sector economy. Co-founder and first Chairman, INJAZ Al ARAB, a regional NGO that helps to equip young people with entrepreneurial and financial skills, and part of Junior Achievement Worldwide.

Imtiaz Ali
MA in Journalism and MA in Political Science, Peshawar University, Pakistan. Journalist specializing in Pakistan's tribal belt along the Afghanistan border. Formerly, with English language newspapers: The News; Dawn. 2001, with Pashto Service, BBC; reported on Pakistan's military operations against al-Qaeda militants in tribal region. 2006-07, Knight Journalism Fellow, Stanford University; 2008, World Fellow, Yale University. Author.

Saleem Ali
Bachelor's in Chemistry, Tufts University; Master's in Environmental Studies, Yale; PhD in Urban Studies and Planning, MIT. Author of books, including: Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life (Oxford, 2022). Member of United Nations International Resource Panel; Lead on Critical Minerals and Inclusive Energy Transitions at United Nations University.

Samar Ali
Samar S. Ali is a skilled mediator, a careful listener, and a compassionate teacher. Pulling up a chair to tables around the world, Ali engages in some of the most entrenched conflicts of our time, always with the intent of finding positive resolution through common ground.
In this pursuit, Ali is a Research Professor of Political Science and Law at Vanderbilt University, the founding President and CEO of Millions of Conversations, and co-chair of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity & American Democracy with Jon Meacham and former Governor Bill Haslam.
Ali has nearly two decades of experience in international relations and national security. Working at the intersection of national security, human rights, and economic development, Ali served as a White House Fellow in President Obama’s administration and as Assistant Commissioner of International Affairs in Tennessee Governor Haslam’s administration. While at the White House, she worked closely with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, gaining experience in bilateral negotiations on behalf of the U.S. government. As a conflict resolution practitioner and mediator, Ali joined an international mediating team in Syria from 2013-2016.
Ali recently cowrote the opening ceremony on "Unity" for the 2022 World Cup with Laeta Kalogridis and Gregg Hurwitz, and co-produced the Heartland to Holy Land series in Bethlehem with music producer T Bone Burnett. Ali, T Bone Burnett, and Callie Khouri also co-produced “John Lewis Celebration of Life” at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in 2021.
Ali is currently working on a memoir, "Sweet Tea, Sacred Land", about one family's century-long quest for peace through belonging.

Osayi Alile
A 2007 “Young Global Leader” (YGL) by the World Economic Forum, a Fellow of the African Leadership Network and an alumna of the Harvard Business School, IMD and Yale Executive Education Programs, Ms. Alile holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from the University of Lagos and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA Pi Alpha Alpha.
Ms. Alile is the CEO ACT Foundation and consultant for Access Bank Plc on its CSR projects, Ms. Alile was the Executive Director of FATE Foundation, a leading private sector led not-for-profit organisation in Nigeria for 8 years
A facilitator/management trainer, she is also a consultant on non-profit management and strategy. A Sustainability Expert and Speaker. Osayi is the founding curator, Global Shapers Forum Nigeria.
Owing to her experiences, Osayi sits on the board of several organisations that includes Immediate past Chairperson Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), House of Tara, Chairperson Zapphire Events, Culinary Academy and Global Dignity, an affiliation of the World Economic Forum in Norway.

Eyad Alkassar
Eyad grew up in Germany, where he earned a Ph.D. Summa Cum Laude in Computer Science from Saarland University. During his studies he was a fellow of the German National Academic Foundation. Since he joined Rocket Internet as CEO of The Middle East, Eyad co-founded and run over a dozen of companies which raised hundreds of millions of dollars in funding - and some of them are now the largest Tech companies of the Middle East fulfilling daily hundreds of thousands of orders. Among others Eyad is a Co-founder of Snapp (largest Internet company of the Middle East) and Namshi.com. In 2017 he was honored as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Shaikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al Khalifa
1992, degree in Economic Theory, American University, Washington DC; 1994, postgraduate diploma in Business Studies, London School of Economics. 1995-99, Director, Crown Prince's office including 1999, Head, Court and Deputy Head, International Scholarship Programme, involved with initiatives to liberalize telecommunications sector, labour market and economic reforms; since 2005, current position. Chairman: Bahrain Development Bank; Young Arab Leaders, Bahrain.

Khalid Alkhudair
Khalid' s current role is the Executive Vice President and head of Communication & Customer Experience at Riyad Bank, Young Global Leader at World Economic Forum and the Founder of Glowork, an employment organization that has created thousands of jobs for women and placed over 33,000 women thus far. He is the first Saudi Ashoka Fellow and an Endeavor Entrepreneur. Previously at the age of only 28, he held the role of Chief Operating Officer- Markets at KPMG in Saudi, Kuwait, and Jordan. In 2013 Khalid led Glow Group to an investment to expand its current operations into different verticals and has led it from being a startup to a well-established business with over 120 employees.
He has a Bachelor Degree in commerce from Saint Mary’s University in Canada with three majors, Marketing, HR, and Psychology, and has completed his Executive Education in Leadership at the University of Yale, and in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School. Khalid has been awarded many awards such as the Chaillot Prize for Human Rights by the European Union, The King Salman Award for Entrepreneurship, Ranked #3 Most Influential Arab by Arabian Business, EY Entrepreneur of the year, amongst many others. Khalid also sits on several Advisory boards throughout the Globe such as the L'Oréal Global Panel of Critical Friends, The Global Agenda Council on the Middle East and North Africa Issues at the World Economic Forum and is an Amend’s Fellow at the University of Stanford.
He has many articles published in International news agencies such as Huffington Post.
Hobbies: An Avid Chelsea fan, Hunting, and Fishing

Gassan Al-Kibsi
With McKinsey since 1997. Currently, Chairman and Managing Partner for the Middle East. Passionate about supporting leaders on matters of economic growth and job creation for young people. Since 2000, he has been working with the public, private, and social sectors across the region to accelerate its economic and social transformation and develop next-generation talent. Served some of the world’s leading companies in energy, technology, and consumer-facing industries to enhance growth and global competitiveness. Author of various articles. Recipient of awards, including WEF Young Global Leader, National Achievement Award, Yemen. MBA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, MSc (Hons) in Operations Research, MIT, BSc in Industrial Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology.

Natalia Allen
Natalia Allen graduated from Parsons School of Design as Designer of the Year, a title she shares with Marc Jacobs. Natalia founded Design Futurist, an award winning design consultancy that has created innovative and sustainable textiles and clothing for multinational brands such as DuPont, Calvin Klein, and Donna Karan.
For her groundbreaking work, Natalia has received numerous distinctions, including recognition as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative Professionals, and one of Utne Reader’s 25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World. An honorary Design Futures Senior Fellow and speaker on technological and socially responsible design, she has presented at international conferences in Europe, Asia and South America.
With the debut of her namesake line, Natalia spent several months in American factories learning about advancements in 3-D manufacturing. She designed beautiful minimalist clothing made in a systematic, seamless and sustainable process. The collection has trended on Oprah, Forbes and Fox Business. The complete Natalia Allen collection is available on the flagship website. Select lines are retailing at Lord & Taylor, the company’s first national retail partner.

Wilmot Allen
Based in Nairobi, Dr. Wilmot Allen is an entrepreneur, investor and political economist. Wilmot has invested or managed investments totaling over $4 billion across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. His academic research and publications address comparative Diaspora economic engagement, creative economy, healthcare, international trade, innovative financing mechanisms and Sovereign Investment Funds.
Wilmot is Founder of VentureLift Africa (VLA), a venture studio (www.vlafrica.com) with an advisory firm (VLA Capital Advisors -www.vlaadvisors.com) facilitating investment, trade, tech transfer, market entry and expansion for SMEs, startups and corporates. VLA curates leading Diaspora companies into Africa and supports the market expansion of great African brands into global markets with significant Diaspora populations. The company is also an implementation partner for the USAID ATI program for the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) under Prosper Africa.
Wilmot leads the Africa operations for DGRID Energy as Managing Director and Partner. DGRID is a US-based company with a presence across emerging markets and in six countries in Africa. The company provides solar-based cold chains solutions for agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, healthcare and other verticals through its Cooling as a Service (CAAS) products.
Wilmot is a Partner with RH Managers based in Johannesburg, a private equity fund investing in healthcare across Southern and Eastern Africa. The fund invests in hospitals, clinics, pharmaceutical manufacturing, digital health, med-tech, medical device companies and healthcare-related educational institutions. Wilmot was recently a management consultant to the African CDC to create the strategy, fundraising and operational plan for its new Africa Public Health Foundation (APHF). He established a genomics company in Nairobi and had operational responsibilities as a management consultant to the R&D division of Allergan Pharmaceuticals and a clinical researcher with Proctor & Gamble.
In the creative sector in Africa, Wilmot is Co-Founder of the International Writer’s Lab (IWL), an accelerator and fellowship program for experienced writers of film and television. The IWL started in East Africa in 2021 and is now launching its first cohort in West Africa (Ghana). The program showcases African writing talent, connects the African film and television ecosystems to Hollywood creative talent and content buyers, facilitates deals for writers and catalyzes job creation and investment into the creative sector. The IWL will establish its first animation cohort in 2023.
Prior, Wilmot worked with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Washington DC, executing investments and managing the portfolio of the private equity funds team, financial institutions and infrastructure groups. At the IFC, he was also Senior Advisor to the CEO Lars Thunell on entrepreneurship initiatives supporting SMEs in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, in conjunction with the World Economic Forum. In other roles, Wilmot worked as a venture capital investor in women and minority-owned businesses with the Commonwealth Enterprise Fund in Boston, a digital media, technology M&A investment banker with JPMorgan H&Q to Silicon Valley and international companies in San Francisco, and a private placement and IPO investment banker with Merrill Lynch in New York. Wilmot previously was the Director of East Africa with CrossBoundary LLC, leading the transaction advisory practice for East Africa from Nairobi. Under his leadership, this group served as the transaction team for a USAID Presidential Trade Africa initiative, the East Africa Trade and Investment Hub and established CrossBoundary’s most successful advisory office.
Wilmot is a visiting researcher with the Africa Studies Department of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Wilmot is co-author of the forthcoming Sovereign Wealth Funds and the New State Capitalism in Africa (Palgrave MacMillan). Wilmot has a PhD from Georgetown University in Comparative Political Economy, an MBA from the Wharton Business School, an MPA from Harvard University and BA from Yale University.