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.

Nomin Chinbat

Minister of Culture, Ministry of Culture of Mongolia, Mongolia

Through her work in government, a successful business career and ongoing involvement in a range of social initiatives, Nomin Chinbat has become one of the leading role models for a new generation in Mongolia which is helping shape that country’s future.
As Mongolian Minister of Culture, Nomin is responsible for safeguarding the country’s nomadic heritage, supporting the economic success of Mongolia’s burgeoning creative industries sector, and strengthening bi-lateral cultural ties with friends old and new the world over.
Signature initiatives which Nomin has taken forward since assuming her current role in January 2021 include modernising and encouraging wider access to Mongolia’s museums, promoting innovative public-private partnerships in the cultural and creative industries, and introducing a package of incentives for international studios to come and film in Mongolia.
Under Nomin’s leadership, the Ministry of Culture has developed a groundbreaking Cultural and Creative Industries Policy, which sets out the significant contribution this sector can make to the Government’s broader Vision 2050 development plan. Nomin has also recently visited the United Kingdom, where she discussed with the UK Government strengthening UK-Mongolian cultural ties, as well as progressing partnerships with the Royal Academy of Arts and Cambridge University.
Prior to entering government, Nomin worked in the hospitality sector, and was in the vanguard of introducing global standards of hospitality in a post-Soviet state. Her hotel, Terelj Hotel Ulaanbaatar, is not only a favourite among tourists but also the largest employer and taxpayer in its locality.
Nomin also has extensive experience in the entertainment industry. In 2009, she created MongolTV with a vision to educate and enlighten the public with nonpartisan information. It quickly developed into one of the most viewed independent channels in Mongolia and has pioneered ethical broadcasting and responsible journalism. Nomin was elected as Founding Chair of the Mongolian Media Council, the first self-regulatory press ombudsman, in 2015 in recognition of her vision to create a legal environment for ethical journalism.
Nomin is engaged in philanthropy through initiatives such as Byatshan Ger, which helps underprivileged children and hearing-impaired citizens.
In recognition of her achievements, Nomin has been included in the “30 under 30” listing compiled by Forbes Mongolia and in Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 25 Women in Television”. She is currently undertaking an executive program at Harvard Business School.

Rohit Chopra

Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, USA

Commissioner on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Has been an outspoken advocate for fair competition, consumer rights and accountability for corporations that break the law. Widely recognized for his expertise on America's trillion-dollar student loan crisis.

Abdourahmane Cissé

Minister Secretary General in the Presidency, Office of the President of Côte d'Ivoire, Côte d'Ivoire

2001, degree in Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique; MSc in Petroleum Economics and Management, French Institute of Petroleum (IFP). 2005, started career at Goldman Sachs, London, as a Sales/Structurer, Commodities Department, covering European corporate clients and governments; then moved to the Equities Division as a Trader to help build the franchise business; latterly, Executive Director, Index Trading Desk, Equities Derivatives Division. 2013-17, Minister of Budget and State-Owned Entities of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, responsible for the budget, customs, taxes and state-owned entities. Currently, Minister, Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum.

Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas

Mayor of Monterrey, Government of the State of Nuevo León, Mexico

Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas is the Municipal President of Monterrey, the capital of Nuevo León and a major metropolitan area in Mexico. With a strong passion for public service, he is driven by the vision of transforming Monterrey into a city known for its compassion, innovation, and sustainability. His approach focuses on fostering collaboration between citizens and the government, ensuring that people are at the forefront of decision-making and urban design processes. Prior to his role as Municipal President, he started his career in public service as a local deputy in the Nuevo León congress in 2018. During this time, he gained recognition for his efforts in promoting transparency practices within legislative work. Additionally, he has served as an entrepreneur, providing legal support to start-ups and emerging ventures.

H.R.H. Prince Jaime de Bourbon de Parme

Climate Envoy, Netherlands Government, Netherlands

Jaime is the Climate Envoy of the Netherlands. He has an extensive diplomatic career in forging partnerships for innovative solutions to complex global challenges. He was the Senior Advisor on Private Sector Partnerships to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), where he worked on the energy transition in refugee settlements. As the Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Holy See (Vatican), he partnered on peace, climate action and forced migration. As Special Envoy for Natural Resources, he initiated the Responsible Mining Index and set up conflict-free supply chains of metals and minerals in the DRC with the private sector and civil society. He was a member of the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Competition, worked in the field as Political Advisor to the Dutch Commander of the NATO Peacekeeping Mission in Afghanistan and helped set up the Netherlands Embassy in Iraq. He has held various other functions in MENA, Africa and Latin America. Born in the Netherlands in 1972, he holds an MA from Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BA from Brown University. He is married and has two young daughters. Concurrently he is a Member of the Board of the Forum of Young Global Leaders (WEF).

Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda

Governor of the State of Baja California, Government of the State of Baja California, Mexico

Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda is a Mexican lawyer and politician affiliated with the Morena political party . She is a Deputy licensed by the District 2 of Baja California in the LXIV Legislature of the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union and currently elected municipal mayor of the city of Mexicali. She studied law in the Center for Technical and Higher Education from 2004 to 2009, and have completed two master's degrees, the first in Public Law by the Graduate School in Government and Public Policy of the Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey de 2010 to 2011 and the second in Public Administration by the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of the Autonomous University of Baja California from 2014 to 2016.

Deshal De Mel

Economic Adviser to the Minister of Finance, Ministry of Finance Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka

Deshal de Mel is economic adviser to the minister of finance of Sri Lanka and the youngest director to have served at Sampath Bank. An economist by training, de Mel is passionate about and committed to economic reform in Sri Lanka in order to create competitive and fair markets along with broader economic and political reform to further economic and political freedoms.

Gila Demri Gamliel

Member of the Knesset, Knesset, Israel

Gila Gamliel is Israel’s Minister of Environmental Protection. She served as the first ever Minister for Social Equality in the last 5 years, until May 2020 in which she was appointed as the Minister for Environmental Protection.

The ministry for Social Equality encompasses the advancement of senior citizens, young people, gender and minority equality, as well the Digital Israel project, which aims to leverage the country's standing as the Start-Up Nation to ensure that governmental and business services offered to the public use the most advanced methods in the world.

A member of the Knesset (Parliament) from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud Party for over a decade, Ms. Gamliel has previously served as Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Deputy Minister for the Advancement of Young People, Students and Women. Among other roles, she chaired the Knesset's Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality, and served as a Member of the Knesset's Finance Committee, Economics Affairs Committee, and the Education, Culture and Sports Committee.

Ms. Gamliel is also a member of the Young Leaders Community of the Davos World Economic Forum, (the first Israeli public representative to the Forum) and was the first woman Chairperson of Israel's National Students' Union.

Ms. Gamliel holds an L.L.M. from Bar Ilan University, a L.L.B. from Ono Academic College, an M.A. in Philosophy and a B.A. in Middle Eastern History and Philosophy from Ben-Gurion University. She holds the rank of Sergeant in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), having served as the head of an air force investigative staff.

Ms. Gamliel, who lives in Tel Aviv, is married and the mother of
two.

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.

Marcela Escobari

Assistant Administrator, US Agency for International Development (USAID), USA

Marcela Escobari serves as the Assistant Administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean. For over two decades, the Hon. Marcela Escobari led organizations focused on promoting inclusive economic growth. She is spearheading USAID’s efforts to advance a collaborative, regional response to the historic displacement of over seven million people across the LAC region. Working with the US Government and regional partners, USAID is driving forward a three-pronged strategy focused on addressing root causes, expanding legal pathways, and promoting the integration of migrants into host communities. She is also expanding the bureau’s efforts to help democratic reformers in the region to deliver for their citizens in the face of the economic contraction caused by COVID-19, which hit Latin America and the Caribbean harder than any other region in the world.

Escobari previously served in the Obama-Biden Administration in this role in 2016, during which time she reinforced U.S. support for Peace Colombia, helped mobilize a humanitarian response plan to Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, and helped unlock obstacles to deliver humanitarian aid in Venezuela. In response to Congress’ doubling of funding to Central America, she led changes in strategy, organization and execution to help USAID expand programs to improve citizen security, strengthen governance, and create economic opportunity.

Prior to serving in government, Escobari was Executive Director at the Center for International Development at Harvard University. During her tenure, the Center launched projects in 17 countries across five continents focused on unlocking constraints to economic growth. Most recently, as a senior fellow at Brookings, she created the Workforce of the Future initiative and applied international economic development models to map the industrial path of American cities and identify policies to help workers prosper in the face of evolving labor markets. She worked with US local leaders, companies and policy makers, including in Idaho and Texas, to strengthen paths to the middle class.

Her career has spanned the private sector, government and academia, with a common thread of producing growth that is inclusive and sustainable. She began her career as an investment banker at J.P. Morgan and worked across the globe on export competitiveness projects as a strategy consultant. The World Economic Forum named her a Young Global Leader in 2013. She co-authored the book “In the River They Swim: Essays from Around the World on Enterprise Solutions to Poverty.” She holds a B.A. in economics from Swarthmore College and an M.A. in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Kow Abaka Essuman

Legal Counsel to the President, Office of the President of Ghana, Ghana

Kow Essuman is an international lawyer in every sense, who specializes in corporate and commercial litigation and arbitration. He is currently serving as counsel at the office of the President of Ghana. He is licensed to practice law in England & Wales (2008), New York (2010) and Ghana (2011). He holds a Master of Laws degree with Honors in International Mergers and Acquisitions and Financial Institutions from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York (2009). He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from BPP Law School, London (2008) and is a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws from University of Westminster, London (2007) and was previously a Global Shaper at the Accra Hub.

Reem Fadda

Director, Cultural Foundation and Abu Dhabi Cultural Sites, Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, United Arab Emirates

Independent curator and art historian. 2010 to 2016, worked as Associate Curator, Middle Eastern Art for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Project of the Solomon R. Guggenheim based at their headquarters in New York City. Had a leading role in shaping the strategy and holdings of West Asian and North African art within its collection and the curatorial vision for the future museum. 2005 to 2007, Director of the Palestinian Association for Contemporary Art (PACA), Ramallah and served as Academic Director for the International Academy of Art Palestine, Ramallah, which helped found in 2006. Has curated many international exhibitions and biennials, especially those pertaining to art and geopolitics in the Middle East, including Jerusalem Lives (Tahya Al Quds), the inaugural exhibition at the Palestinian Museum, Birzeit (2017); Not New Now, 6th Marrakech Biennale (2016) and the United Arab Emirates National Pavilion, 55th Venice Biennale (2013). Recipient: eighth Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement in 2017; Fulbright scholarship to pursue PhD at the Department of History of Art and Visual Studies, Cornell University, 2008. Director of the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi affiliated with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi.