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.

Miroslava Duma

Founder, Pangaia Limited, Switzerland

Miroslava Duma is the founder of several innovative ventures, digital entrepreneur, philanthropist and active investor across a range of promising businesses including materials science, biotechnology, food-as-the-medicine technology and responsible fashion.
Born on the 10th of March, 1985, to a Ukrainian father and Jewish-Ukrainian mother in Siberia, she spent her childhood years between Switzerland and other parts of Europe. In the past 15 years, she has spent most of her professional time between Europe, the UK and the US. She has also travelled to research labs and institutions across the globe building and developing scientific partnerships with scientists, researchers and biotechnology pioneers predominantly in Italy, Japan, South Korea, the UK and the US, connecting them with companies across multiple industries to bring their problem-solving technologies to market.
Through her professional activities she has also been actively involved in philanthropic engagements serving on the board of Stanford Philanthropy And Civil Society, advocating for the UN SDGs, participating in COP26, supporting biodiversity conservation efforts across the world as well as Doctors without Borders and Save the Children.

Darby Dunn

Head, Operations, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, USA

Joy Dunn is the Head of Operations at Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a clean energy startup based in Boston, where she is responsible for the company’s day-to-day operations including manufacturing, construction and facilities, safety, and quality. CFS was spun out of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and works collaboratively with MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center to combine decades of government and academic research with the innovation and speed of the private sector. Supported by the world's leading investors, the CFS team is driven by the climate change crisis to develop the fastest path to commercial fusion energy. Before joining the CFS team in early 2019, Joy spent a decade at SpaceX developing and manufacturing the Dragon spacecraft to deliver cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station. She was heavily involved with the manufacturing of the Dragon 1 spacecraft and played an integral role in SpaceX's achievement of being the first private company to launch a spacecraft in orbit and also dock with the International Space Station. She managed the manufacturing engineering team responsible for substantially reducing overall spacecraft build hours and cost while overseeing Dragon's annual budget and construction of a high-tech production facility for the Crew Dragon vehicle. Joy also co-founded both the Women's Network and LGBTQ employee interest groups at SpaceX and she is actively involved in STEM outreach events, including sitting on the Board of Directors for Out For Undergrad, a non-profit that helps LGBTQ students reach their full potential. She was also named to Business Insider's list of the Most Powerful Female Engineers of 2017. Joy received her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Niall Dunne

Chief Executive Officer, polymateria, United Kingdom

Niall joined Polymateria as Chief Executive Officer in January 2018 to tackle the global crisis of plastic waste and lead the company on its mission of advancing science to help nature deal with plastic pollution.

Upon his appointment Niall announced an ambition to “redesign the rules of an entire industry” and create the Tesla of plastics.

Polymateria has a diverse range of partnerships such as some of the biggest chemical companies in the world Clariant (now Avient) and Indorama Ventures as well as the Government of India and the all-electric off-road racing series, Extreme E and the actor/activist Robin Wright. The company is also proud to be a founding signatory of HRH The Prince of Wales’ Terra Carta (Earth Charter) established under the Sustainable Markets Initiative.

Niall is also on the Sustainability Board of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
since June 2019. UKRI brings together the seven Research Councils within the UK, & has a combined budget of more than £7 billion, funding pioneering research and innovation across the planet.

A World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, Niall has worked on WEF’s Global Agenda Councils on Sustainable Consumption and Climate Change where he has launched and led initiatives such as Collectively.org and 100percentsport.org. These initiatives have unified some of the largest businesses and NGOs in the world behind systems level transformations seeking to tackle some of the biggest issues we are facing.

Previously Niall has worked in senior leadership roles in BT, Accenture and Saatchi & Saatchi.

A keen athlete since his youth, Niall represented Ireland internationally as an 800m runner.

John Dutton

Head, Uplink; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum, Switzerland

John Dutton is Head of UpLink and Member of the Executive Committee for the World Economic Forum. Previously John also served as the Head of the Forum Foundations and Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, also at the Forum. Prior to joining Forum, he was the Small Funds Initiative Coordinator for the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and has also spent several years as a French Teacher at the Trinity Pawling School. John has earned an MBA with a specialization in International Organizations from the University of Geneva and completed his undergraduate studies at Kenyon College with a BA in Economics. John also enjoys spending time with his wife Tania, son Timeo and daughter Lea in the nearby Alps skiing and hiking and plays competitive Football in the local leagues.

Sophal Ear

Senior Associate Dean/Professor, Thunderbird School of Global Management, USA

Re-elected to the Crescenta Valley Town Council in November 2018 to a second 3-year term, encompassing more than 22,000 residents in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, and currently serving as its Corresponding Secretary, Sophal Ear, PhD, is a tenured Associate Professor of Diplomacy & World Affairs at Occidental College in Los Angeles where he lectures on political economy, security, development, and Asia. Previously, he taught how to rebuild countries after wars at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and international development at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. He consulted for the World Bank, was Assistant Resident Representative for the United Nations Development Programme in East Timor, Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Advisor to Cambodia's first private equity fund Leopard Capital, and Audit Chair of the Nathan Cummings Foundation. A TED Fellow, Fulbright Specialist, and Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, he sits on the Boards of Refugees International (Washington, DC), Partners for Development (Silver Spring, MD), International Public Management Network (Washington, DC), the Southeast Asia Development Program (Phnom Penh, Cambodia), and the Center for Khmer Studies (Siem Reap, Cambodia). He is the author of Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy (Columbia University Press, 2013, http://amzn.to/UXhoWc) and co-author of The Hungry Dragon: How China’s Resources Quest is Reshaping the World (Routledge, 2013, http://amzn.to/WkxCEf). He wrote and narrated the award-winning documentary film "The End/Beginning: Cambodia"​ (47 minutes, 2011, news blurb http://youtu.be/QwsSDPRI25E) based on his 2009 TED Talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/sophal_ear_escaping_the_khmer_rouge) and has appeared in four other documentaries. He is an Executive Producer of In the Life of Music (92 minutes, 2018) and Some of My Best Friends Are Kimchi: A True Documentary (Coming soon!). A graduate of Princeton and Berkeley, he moved to the US from France as a Cambodian refugee at the age of 10.

Salimah Yvette Ebrahim

Co-Founder, Artery, USA

A serial founder, Salimah got her start in building communities by co-founding the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition to help protect BC’s endangered Spirit Bear and its habitat in the Great Bear rainforest. Under her stewardship the Coalition - which started with just two members and grew to a network of over 6 million members in 64+ countries. Their campaign to save the spirit bear – named the official mascot of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver – was recently recognized as one of the most supported conservation initiatives in Canadian history.

After beginning her international journalism career in the alleyways of Cairo, Salimah spent years filling on culture and politics from the Middle East, covering the war in Iraq and reporting on environmental security challenges in Africa. She also was on the trail for the historic 2008 US presidential campaign, and for a time was based in DC covering the White House. She has worked on assignment for Reuters, A&E, CBC Television, the Globe and Mail, The Walrus Magazine and the Cairo Times.

A fellow and graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York, Ebrahim also holds an honours degree in Middle Eastern History and International Relations from Trinity College, University of Toronto. She has been awarded and recognized for her work as both journalist and community builder, having been chosen and profiled by CBC Television as one of 25 Canadians who are changing the world; named by Chatelaine magazine one of its 80 amazing Canadian women to watch; and honoured by the World Economic Forum in 2009 as a Young Global Leader.

Her latest adventure: co-founding Artery.is and Bramble.live and thinking about how technology can facilitate our humanity online and off.

Jamil Edmond Anderlini

Editor-in-Chief, Europe, Politico, Belgium

Editor in Chief - POLITICO Europe.
Former: Chief Editor, China Economic Review; Beijing Business Correspondent, South China Morning Post. Formerly: editor and journalist in China, cultivating a deep knowledge of the political and economic situation. 2007, joined the Financial Times; former Beijing Correspondent and Deputy Beijing Bureau Chief; 2011, Beijing Bureau Chief, with overall responsibility for China coverage; since 2015, Asia Editor; oversees the FT’s coverage of the Asia region from Afghanistan to Australia, including China, India, Indonesia and Japan; directs the work of regional correspondents and oversees the editing and commissioning team in Hong Kong. Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum (2013). Fluent in spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. Regularly contributes commentary for other media. Speaker. Author of The Bo Xilai Scandal (2012). Recipient of numerous reporting prizes, both individually and as part of FT teams; named Journalist of the Year, Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Editorial Excellence Awards (2010); Best Digital Award, Amnesty International Media Awards; UK Foreign Press Association Award (2008); several individual SOPA awards; Jones-Mauthner Award (2012); short-listed for Foreign Reporter of the Year, Press Awards, UK, and Orwell Prize.

Suzanne Ehlers

Chief Executive Officer, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, USA

Suzanne Ehlers is the Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR (effective 1/17/2023) where she is working toward a world where refugee crises would cease and people fleeing are welcomed into new communities with dignity and security.

Prior to this appointment, Suzanne served as CEO of Malala Fund and, in this role, she provided leadership to a global staff of experts and advocates who are breaking down barriers that prevent girls from going to school. Suzanne worked closely with co-founders Malala and Ziauddin Yousafzai and a highly regarded board of directors and professional team to advance progress toward girls’ education around the world.

Previously, Suzanne served as President & CEO of PAI, a global leader in the effort to protect and promote the reproductive rights of women and girls. Suzanne led the organization for 10 years, and was at PAI for 16 years. Under Suzanne’s leadership, PAI’s budget almost quadrupled and the organization dramatically expanded its work to more countries, spreading more shared wealth, technical assistance and capacity building.

Suzanne repeatedly served on the U.S. government delegation to the United Nations’ Commission on Population and Development under President Obama. She currently serves as a board member for Ibis Reproductive Health in Boston and the Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School in Washington, DC; she was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2012; and she has served on the boards of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, the Global Health Council, the Janelia Family Foundation, The Biodiversity Project, and the Asia Pacific Alliance.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Ehlers was a grantmaker at the Wallace Global Fund. At WGF, she supported a grants portfolio that broke new ground in the fields of sustainable forestry and laid the early foundation for philanthropic engagement on climate change.

Ms. Ehlers served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Central African Republic following her graduation from Cornell University with a degree in Government. Suzanne speaks French, Spanish and Sango at various levels of proficiency. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and two daughters.

Hassan El Houry

Chairman, Menzies Aviation Inc., United Kingdom

A global executive with experience leading teams on six continents, I currently serve as full-time Board Chair of Menzies Aviation – the world’s largest aviation services company. I spearheaded the acquisition of Menzies by Agility, and its integration with National Aviation Services (NAS). I led NAS for more than 10 years and grew the company into the leading airport ground handling and cargo company in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, from our base in Kuwait.

As we strive to be the undisputed world leader in aviation services, Menzies Aviation serves the world’s highest-rated airlines in more than 250 airports, with a team of more than 35,000 staff in 56 countries on six continents. We provide comprehensive aviation services that include ground and cargo handling, warehousing and air freight, aircraft fueling, wholesale freight forwarding, airport technologies, and lounges management.

In 2014, I was honored by the World Economic Forum in Davos as a Young Global Leader for my contributions to aviation and airport services. I have participated in the meetings in Davos 9 times, and have been invited to speak about aviation policy and mobility. I was also invited to join the Global Future Council on Mobility, and serve on several boards including National Real Estate Company (NREC – listed), United Projects Company (UPAC – listed), Silk Road Mining, Royal Aviation and the Center for Leadership at the University of Colorado - Boulder.

I have an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor's Degree from the American University of Beirut. I am a husband, father of three sons, and enjoy running, swimming, beach volleyball, and reading biographies.

Samuel Elia

Programme Officer, Edmond J. Safra Foundation, Switzerland

Samuel Elia is a Programme Officer for the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, a family foundation that supports projects related to education, science and medicine, religion, culture and humanitarian relief in over 40 countries. In addition, Samuel is a member of the International Board of Directors of the ISEF Foundation, the Advisory Committee of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University and the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2012, Samuel was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Previously he was a member of the Board of Directors of ORT Brazil. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University.

Olafur Eliasson

Artist, Studio Olafur Eliasson GmbH, Germany

Practice characterized by the incessant exploration of modes of perceiving. Works, described by the artist as "experimental set-ups", span photography, installation, sculpture and film. In Berlin studio, works with craftsmen, architects, geometers and art historians to test how physical movement, sensory engagement and the interaction of body and brain influence perception of environment. Projects in public space include Green river, realized in various cities between 1998 and 2001; the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2007, London, with Kjetil Thorsen; and The New York City Waterfalls, in summer 2008. Recent architectural works are Your rainbow panorama, for ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, and Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Centre, with Henning Larsen Architects. Creator of "Little Sun", a work of art that brings solar-powered light to off-grid areas of the world.

Hisham El-Khazindar

Co-Founder and Managing Director, Qalaa Holdings, Egypt

Hisham El Khazindar is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Qalaa Holdings, a leading investment company in Africa and the Middle East. Prior to co-founding Qalaa Holdings (formerly Citadel Capital), El Khazindar was Executive Director of Investment Banking at EFG Hermes where he advised on landmark M&A and IPO transactions in the region. During 1999-2000, he was on secondment to Goldman Sachs in London. El Khazindar serves on the boards of leading regional companies, including El Sewedy Electric and Magrabi Retail, and on the Advisory Committee of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association. He also serves as a Trustee of the American University in Cairo, as a Trustee of the Cairo Children's Cancer Hospital and as a Fellow of the Aspen Institute's Middle East Leadership Initiative. He holds a BA in Economics from the American University in Cairo (1996) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (2003).