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.
Mehmet Gürcan Daimagüler
Lawyer and Public Policy Expert based in Germany. PhD in Philosophy, JD, University of Bonn; MPA, Harvard University. Expert on renewable energy technologies. 1997-2005, Member of Federal Board, Free Democratic Party of Germany; currently, Partner, Thomsen Partner Law Firm, Berlin. World Fellow, Yale University. Lucius N. Littauer Fellow, Harvard University. Member of the Advisory Board, Yale World Fellows Program
Bernice Dapaah
Bernice Dapaah is an entrepreneur and an industry leader in the non-motorized transport subsector in Ghana where she has pioneered climate-smart mobility technology. She has championed the engineering of specialty bamboo bikes and other bamboo artifacts using locally available resources. With over decade experience in bamboo technology, she has been the recipient of several awards due to her abiding contributions to the field. Bernice is the Chief Executive Officer of Envirotech Bamboo Limited and Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative and an Alumnus of Harvard University and Oxford University's Executive Fellowship programs in leadership. She is also an Alumnus of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders and World Bamboo Ambassador. She holds a Masters degree in Development Management.
The inspiration for the innovation of bamboo bicycles came out of her fascination for the botanical properties of bamboo and learning from other ingenious inventions with bamboo. Her work has train and created employment for youths directly and indirectly and enriched the plantation stock of Ghana through her ambitious effort to tackle the issue of deforestation and ecosystem degradation.
Dave Duarte
Dave is the Founder and Managing Director of Treeshake, an advocacy organization specialising in building communities, campaigns, and movements.
Treeshake's portfolio includes collaborations with leaders, governments, international organizations, corporations, and charities driving community-led solutions in areas like poverty alleviation, climate action, and public health.
Dave is passionate about education and chairs the Reach Trust, impacting millions through mobile education apps.
Chido Govera
Social entrepreneur. Founder, The Future of Hope Foundation. Pioneer in the conversion of coffee grounds from cafes into mushrooms. Through the foundation, Chido fulfills her commitment to ending poverty, abuse, self-pity, and victimhood at the grassroots level in Africa through food security. The simplified sustainable mushroom farming method provides food security by converting organic residues into food, motivating people at different levels to take on entrepreneurial opportunities in both the developed and developing parts of the world. Committed to engaging women and girls in socio-economic development and to reach their full potential. Expertise: edible and medicinal mushrooms.
Katie Hill
Katie Hill is an Expert Partner at Boston Consulting Group, based in Nairobi, Kenya. She is a core member of the Green Ventures team, building and scaling climate-smart companies across Africa. She has spent over 15 years as an investor and operator in high-impact climate and technology companies. Katie specializes in decarbonization strategy and implementation for global companies; renewable energy economics and transactions; sustainable and impact investing; and digital economy and infrastructure.
Prior to joining BCG, Katie launched and led Apple’s Clean Energy Program to decarbonize Apple’s product manufacturing worldwide. Her team enabled 3GW of new clean energy contracted for Apple production in less than 2 years. She also co-led Apple’s issuance of a $1.5 billion green bond. Most recently, Katie was the Global Director for Business Operations at Liquid Intelligent Technologies (formerly Liquid Telecom), a pan-Africa digital infrastructure company. She started her career as a venture investor in emerging markets companies with Acumen, where she launched the energy investing portfolio and made some of the world's first investments in off-grid energy companies. Katie is on the Board of BioLite, an energy technology company, and an angel investor with Chalo Ventures. Katie received her MBA and an MS in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University. She is a TED Fellow and World Economic Forum "Young Global Leader. Katie has spent over ten years living and working in East Africa and South Asia.
Amadou Hott
Undergraduate degree in Applied Mathematics and Master's in Finance, Sorbonne University, Paris; Master's programme in Financial Mathematics, New York University. 20 years experience in investment banking and investing with a focus on Africa since 2004. Worked in various financial centers including New York, London, Dubai and Lagos. Founder & CEO of FONSIS (Sovereign Wealth Fund of Senegal for Strategic Investments). Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth at the African Development Bank since November 2016. Twice volunteered with the TOKTEN programme, sponsored by the United Nations. Lecturer, University Gaston Berger of Saint Louis, Senegal. Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum (2012).
Sébastien Kadio-Morokro
Sébastien Kadio-Morokro is one of the youngest CEOs in the African oil and gas industry. He is the Chief Executive Officer and Director at Pétro Ivoire SA, the largest indigenous petroleum product distribution company in Côte d’Ivoire. He is on the Board of Directors at Pétro Ivoire SA and Société Africaine D’Entreposage De Produits Pétroliers SA. Since taking over as CEO in 2010, Sébastien led the company through a significant growth and diversification strategy, which resulted in seeing the company double its turnover in less than 5 years.
Rosebell Kagumire
Rosebell is a pan-african feminist writer, human rights defender and social political commentator. She is currently the curator and editor of African Feminism- AF, a platform that document narratives and experiences of African women on the continent and the diaspora.
She has expertise in media, gender, peace and conflict issues. Her writing appears in international media like The Guardian, Al Jazeera and Quartz. She seats on the panel of international judges for the TRACE Prize for Investigative Reporting, a prestigious award for investigative journalism that aims to uncover business bribery or related financial crimes around the world.
With over 10 years of experience in media and communications, Rosebell has worked as a communications officer for Women's Link Worldwide and the UN Migration Agency as a Social Media Manager. She holds a Masters in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies from United Nations-mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica.
In 2018 she was honored with the Anna Guèye award for her advocacy for digital democracy, justice and equality by Africtivistes, a network of African activists. She is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Young Leaders
Wanuri Kahiu
Filmmaker, speaker and science fiction writer. Short award-winning science fiction film PUMZI (2009) about futuristic Africa premiered at SUNDANCE Film Festival (2010) and received international acclaim including the Citta di Venezia award at the Venice Film Festival 2010. Futuristic views have been the source of articles, African futurist journals, masterclasses and dissertations. Award-winning film “RAFIKI”, a same-sex love story about two girls, was the first Kenyan film to be invited to Cannes Film Festival (2018). The film was banned in Kenya; sued the Kenya Film Classification Board for the infringement of constitutional rights to freedom of expression. The constitutional case is ongoing. Speaks globally about freedom of expression and AFROBUBBLEGUM – the advocacy for images of fun, fierce and frivolous African images – and was named TIME’s 100 Next in 2019.
Unathi Kamlana
Unathi Kamlana is the Commissioner of the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), the market conduct regulator of the South African financial sector, since June 2021. Prior to this, he was the Head of Department - Policy, Statistics & Industry Department at the Reserve Bank of South Africa 2015-2021. He joined the Bank in 2011 following a six-year career at National Treasury where he served as Chief Director: Financial Markets and Stability. During this time (2009-2011) he served as a member of the Standing Committee on the Revision of the Banks Act. Previously, he held various roles at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking.
Unathi holds a Master of Science Economic Policy degree from SOAS, University of London, a Master of Commerce and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from Rhodes University; a Higher Diploma in Taxation from Wits University; and has attended various management development programmes, including at the University of Cape Town, Duke University (United States) and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Paul Kapelus
Director Of Synergy Global Consulting Ltd. Master's in Social Anthropology, Sussex University, UK. 30 years' experience with business in Africa, especially mining, energy, oil and gas companies; specializes in social performance, training and capacity building, ESG, stakeholder relationship management, social risk for investments, conflict resolution, community development and partnership management; works in conflict and conflict prone areas. Member of the board of various non-profit organizations. Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow. Alumni, Young Global Leaders, World Economic Forum. Synergy has a strategic partnership with University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business to train company officials and practitioners from around the world on social performance.
Kola Karim
Kola Karim serves as the Group Managing Director/CEO of Shoreline Energy International, a leading investor in the Energy, Infrastructure and Engineering sectors throughout Sub Saharan Africa. Mr Karim’s has steered Shoreline's growth over the last 30 years leading to the company becoming one of the leading independent oil producers in Nigeria with reserves in excess of 1.5bn bbls . Mota Nigeria, a joint venture with Mota Engil is one of the leading construction companies in Nigeria while Shoreline’s engineering subsidiary DBN Energies has over 35 years of leadership within the engineering and EPC sector working exclusively for leading producers including NLNG and TOTAL
Mr Karim serves on the Deans council of Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Mr Karim Serves on the Africa Advisory board of the London Stock Exchange and is a Young Global Leader Award Honoree (2008), a pioneer and an active member of the Global Agenda Council on Emerging Multinationals of the World Economic Forum. He has delivered opinion and position papers at international conferences, investment forums, business schools and universities. Mr. Karim holds an LLM Master of Laws degree. Mr Karim holds the traditional title of Agbaoye of Ibadanland.