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.

Stacey Tank

Chief Corporate Affairs and Transformation Officer, HEINEKEN, Netherlands

In addition to being the first woman and youngest executive to hold her position, Stacey Tank serves five non-profit boards, including those focused on environmental impact and the arts.

Anderson Tanoto

Managing Director, Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), Singapore

Anderson Tanoto is Managing Director and Member of the Executive Management Board of RGE, a group of world-class companies in resource-based manufacturing industries operating in Indonesia, China, Brazil, and Canada, with over $35 billion in assets and a workforce of over 70,000 people. He is also a member of the executive committee of Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), one of the largest pulp and paper producers in the world. As a member of the Board of Trustees of the Tanoto Foundation, Tanoto has led various foundation initiatives and is a keen philanthropist focused on and passionate about leadership development and poverty alleviation. He was formerly a consultant at Bain & Company and holds a BSc in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Fagun Thakrar

Founder & CEO, Actor, Film Director, Global Health Advocate and Ambassador, The Purpose Movie Studio, United Kingdom

Fagun Thakrar is a Founder and CEO, an award-winning & critically acclaimed actor, film director, a doctor and a global health ambassador.

Fagun was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2023.

Fagun began her education studying Medicine at the University College London where she specialized in Neuroscience. She then went on to study a range of disciplines to Master’s level. Fagun holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge, Masters in Acting from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in the UK and Film Directing from the US.

As an actor, Fagun has appeared in several Hollywood and international films and has starred alongside Academy Award winners. Her films, released in cinemas internationally, have been selected for festivals and have won awards. Fagun’s focus is cinematic roles with strong intellectual meaningful content that encourages positive global change.

As a writer-director Fagun further explores the power of creativity and storytelling through film to create social-impact content. Expanding upon her practical experience and academic research carried out at the University of Cambridge, Fagun established The Purpose Movie Studio, where she serves as the Founder and CEO.

Fagun has recently expanded her vision with an innovative venture that revolutionizes purpose-driven cinema by integrating Artificial Intelligence in filmmaking. This approach creates a powerful combination of human creative talent and artificial intelligence, crafting some of the finest films of our era. The Studio focuses on the power of storytelling through films and documentaries to create purpose-driven content that impacts positive change worldwide. ​​

Fagun actively engages in both local and global non-profit initiatives, focusing on children, girls, women, and the healthcare sector. She has earned recognition as a worldwide advocate for health and well-being, working with underprivileged children, world leaders, and presidents.

Fagun is the Global Ambassador and spokesperson for many non-profits, including The Women’s Brain Project. Building on her experience in this field, Fagun founded her own non-profit, The Creatively Inspired Life Foundation, that is dedicated to empowering young people through creativity.

Fagun’s expertise spans three major disciplines: Creativity and Storytelling in Global Influence; Innovating at the Intersection of Film and Artificial Intelligence; and Leading Transformational Initiatives in Healthcare and Non-Profits.

Under Fagun’s leadership she has profoundly impacted and touched the lives of millions of people. Fagun currently lives and works between the UK and the US. Fagun’s life story is one of impactful transformation, driven by her core mission to inspire people, transform lives, and drive positive global change.

Anahita Thoms

Partner, International Trade Practice, Baker McKenzie, Germany

Anahita Thoms is an award-winning lawyer who focuses her practice on global investigations, in the field of sustainability and international trade law, including sanctions, export controls, foreign investment review, data protection, business and human rights. She leads Baker McKenzie's International Trade Practice in Germany and is a Member of the firm's Europe, Middle East and African regional Steering Committee for the Compliance & Investigations Group. She is a Board Member of Atlantik-Brücke, serves on the National Committee of Unicef Germany and is Advisory Board Member of the Sustainable Finance Council of the German Federal Government. She is a regularly interviewed by media outlets as an expert and is a speaker at international conferences on diverse topics, such as trade, sustainability, diversity and ethics. Anahita is committed to giving back to society and is passionate about human rights and the fight against modern slavery.

Jeevan Kumaravel Thondaman

Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development, Government of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka

Jeevan is the Cabinet Minister for Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development and a Member of Parliament in Sri Lanka. He was previously the Minister of State for Estate Housing and Community Infrastructure. In 2023, at 28 years old, he became the youngest Cabinet Minister in Sri Lankan history.

He is also the General Secretary of the Ceylon Workers Congress, one of the oldest trade unions and political parties in Sri Lanka, that has worked towards the upliftment of historically marginalised plantation worker communities.

Elected for the first time in the 2020 Parliamentary Elections, at only 25 years old, Jeevan is also one of the youngest MPs ever-elected in Sri Lanka and remains the youngest Member of the present Parliament.

Having received his primary education in both Sri Lanka and India, Jeevan completed his higher education in the United Kingdom. He received a certification in Criminology from the London School of Economics in 2016 and graduated with an LLB from Northumbria University, England in 2017.

Following the completion of his LLB, Jeevan returned to Sri Lanka in 2017 to support his father, the Late Arumugan Thondaman, in his trade union work, advocating for the rights of plantation workers in Sri Lanka’s Hill Country.

Jeevan is passionate about social justice and equality for all Sri Lankans. His deep-rooted knowledge of the challenges faced by marginalised people, particularly those in rural areas, has fuelled his determination to bring about positive change through championing workers' rights and promoting economic development, aiming to uplift the living standards of all Sri Lankans.

In his previous portfolio as State Minister, he worked relentlessly to create a conducive environment for plantation workers, ensuring fair wages, safe working conditions, and adequate benefits. His initiatives in estate infrastructure development, including in his current dual portfolio, aims to enhance the living conditions and access to essential services for those residing in plantation communities. This includes construction of 10,000 homes for plantation workers, a land rights programme granting freehold titled plots to nearly 200,000 families living in plantations, a free mid-day meal programme for children in plantation schools and three new vocational training centres in the plantation region of Sri Lanka.

As the Minister for Water Supply, Jeevan has been spearheading ambitious reforms in the water sector aiming to increase access to safe and affordable drinking water, create a climate resilience roadmap for water services and a transparent pricing formula that protects the most vulnerable in society.

Jeevan continues to advocate for the rights of all marginalised people in Sri Lanka, especially workers, women, ethnic minorities and the LGBT+ community. In 2022, he became one of the first Members of Parliament to openly support the rights of the LGBT+ community. In their 2022 submissions for Constitutional reform, his political party, the Ceylon Workers Congress, was the only party that proposed amending Sri Lanka’s Constitution to expressly include “sexual orientation and gender identity” as a protected characteristic in Sri Lanka’s Constitution.

As a dynamic and progressive leader, Jeevan is known for his ability to collaborate with various stakeholders, including government officials, international organisations, and civil society groups, to achieve common goals. He firmly believes in inclusive governance, and his policies reflect his commitment to empowering marginalised communities and fostering social harmony.

Outside of his political engagements, Jeevan is known for his passion for art, culture, and sports. He believes in the power of cultural exchange as a vehicle for promoting unity and understanding among diverse communities.

Lauren Tilstra

Executive Director; Chief Executive Officer, Communications; Chief of Staff, Verizon Communications, USA

Lauren Tilstra is a seasoned leadership communications advisor who’s spent her career launching and counseling Fortune 50 c-suite executives across technology and media. She currently serves as Chief of Staff and Executive Director of Strategic Communications to the Chairman and CEO of Verizon. She’s the first in the firm’s 22-year history to serve in both roles simultaneously.

Tilstra is a passionate advocate for digital inclusion and in 2020 she joined Verizon’s Chairman and CEO, Hans Vestberg and Chief Strategy Officer, Rima Qureshi in forming the EDISON Alliance with Professor Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum. In this role, she leads communications for the Alliance and is working daily to connect 1B lives to the promise of the digital world. She also serves on the Board of grassroots organization, Friends for Global Change and Is a founding member of the National Executive Communication Council. Tilstra is a PRWeek 40 under 40 and was named Penn State University’s College of Communications Outstanding Alumni of 2022.

Maureen Trantham

Senior Vice-President; Head, Strategy and Social Impact and Philanthropy Operations, Sesame Workshop, USA

Maureen Tranthams diverse background spans media, education policy and business strategy. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Global Social Impact & Philanthropy Operations and a member of the Senior Leadership Team at Sesame Workshop. In her role, Maureen is responsible for the overall planning and coordination of strategic and financial results across Sesames global, philanthropically funded social impact efforts including the organizations work supporting displaced children in crisis contexts and children from marginalized communities in the U.S. She also oversees the organizations Compliance and Risk Management capabilities, working closely with teams to navigate the challenges of reaching children in conflict zones. A former international journalist with experience in Thailand and China, she has also led a Washington state education policy and advocacy nonprofit, as well as worked as a management consultant supporting global media and technology companies on a variety of strategic, operations and organizational issues. A committed mentor, particularly to early career professionals, she frequently coaches individuals hoping to transition sectors and contribute to social impact. Maureen holds a BA in Journalism and the Comparative History of Ideas from the University of Washington and an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business. She also serves as an active Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations.

Gregg Treinish

Executive Director, Adventure Scientists, USA

Gregg Treinish is the Founder and Executive Director of Adventure Scientists, an organization that has helped the scientific community design, build and execute on field data collection projects that address long-standing environmental threats. By galvanizing a global network of trained outdoor specialist volunteers, his work has enabled authorities to prosecute illegal loggers, created the largest dataset on Earth for microplastics pollution, advanced a new suite of interventions against antibiotic resistant superbugs, and doubled crop yields without fertilizers across 4 million acres of land.

Gregg became a National Geographic Explorer after becoming the first to trek the length of the Andes Mountain Range on a journey that covered more than 12,500km in just under two years.

Claire Tsui

Managing Director and Head, Strategic Business Development, UBS AG, Hong Kong SAR, China

An aspiring financier as one of the youngest Asian female Managing Directors at UBS Group, with extensive capital markets experience in leading landmark jumbo transactions in the APAC region from previous 10-year tenure at Goldman Sachs. As a graduate of United World College and one of the Global Scholars from Columbia University, Claire is a strong believer in international understanding, diversity and inclusion. For more than a decade, Claire has been actively engaged in and promoting equal opportunities via professional and educational initiatives for the underprivileged and under-represented in both work and local community contexts.

John R. Tyson

John R. Tyson is a fourth-generation member of the Tyson family and executive at one of the largest food companies in the world. As Chief Sustainability Officer at Tyson Foods, he has the ability to influence the global food supply chain, promoting more sustainable production practices that empower people, conserve natural resources and drive innovation for smart, responsible agriculture. Prior, he worked in investment banking for J.P. Morgan and as a private equity and venture capital investor. He is also a lecturer at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, he serves on the Board of Directors of Winrock International and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Tyson has a BA in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Katsuya Uenoyama

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, PKSHA Technology Inc., Japan

Dr. Katsuya Uenoyama is a entrepreneur in the machine learning and artificial intelligence area.

He founded PKSHA Technology in 2012 and the company became a listed company in 2018 as the biggest AI company in Japan.

He is exploring how to shape AI-driven software to empower and diverse human and society.

Prior to founding PKSHA, he received got his PhD in Machine Learning from Tokyo University. And ex-BCG.

David Upton

Managing Director; Chief of Staff, Public Policy and Corporate Responsibility, Barclays PLC, United Kingdom

David is based in London and has a broad remit focused on bringing together the different aspects of the global Public Policy and Corporate Responsibility agenda to help drive Barclays' strategy. As part of the Group CEO Office, David works closely with senior stakeholders across the bank on a range of Group-wide issues and is responsible for the operation of the Group Executive Committee. Previously, he helped to lead the development and execution of Barclays Compliance Strategy and advised on issues relating to Conduct and Reputation Risk, regulatory engagement, and executive governance. Before Barclays, David worked at the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority in Strategic Business Planning and Human Resources. He graduated with a degree in Physics from the University of Warwick.