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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.

Elsie S. Kanza

Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania to the USA and Mexico, Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania in the USA, USA

Elsie S. Kanza is a Tanzanian economist who is Special Adviser to the President of the World Economic Forum (WEF). As the head of the WEF’s regional agenda on Africa and member of the Executive Committee, since 2011 she has led numerous public-private collaboration initiatives to solve complex systemic challenges related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and African Union Agenda 2063. From 2006 to 2011, Kanza served as economic advisor to the President of Tanzania. Between 1997 and 2006, she worked in Tanzania’s finance ministry and its central bank.

Currently a Richard von Weizsacker Fellow, Kanza has been recognized for her achievements in advancing economic development. In 2008, she became an Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellow, and in 2011 a WEF Young Global Leader. In 2020, the magazine Forbes Africa listed her as one of Africa’s 50 most powerful women. She has served on various boards, including those of the African Leadership Institute - South Africa, Mercy Corps Europe, The Nature Conservancy Africa Council, and the Uongozi Institute.

In 2015, Kanza was awarded a Doctorate of Business Administration (honors causa) from the University of Strathclyde for her role in driving transformative impact in Africa. She also holds a MA in Development Economics from the Center for Development Economics – Williams College; a MSc in Finance from the University of Strathclyde; and a BSc (cum laude) in International Business Administration from the United States International University - Africa.

Eric Parrado

Chief Economist; General Manager, Research Department, Inter-American Development Bank, USA

Chief Economist and General Manager of the Research Department of the Inter-American Development Bank. PhD in Economics, New York University. Former Manager of the Chilean sovereign wealth funds, with assets under management of $22 billion. International Consultant, advising central banks and governments of Colombia, Guyana, Mongolia, Nigeria, Panama and Papua New Guinea on fiscal policy and implementation of sovereign wealth funds. Former Chairman of the Regulatory Banking Authority of Chile (Superintendencia de Bancos) and Professor of Economics and Finance at the ESE Business School.

Rahul Rekhi

Counselor for International Affairs, U.S. Department of the Treasury, USA

Rahul is Counselor for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department, where he advises on a range of international financial and economic issues, including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, G7 and G20, trade and investment, sustainability, and international financial regulation.

Before joining the Biden administration, Rahul was a Managing Director at Lazard in New York where he advised businesses, investors, and governments on a range of financial and strategic matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, capital markets, and related issues. His transaction experience spanned the intersection of healthcare, technology, and consumer/retail as well as that of markets and public policy. Rahul founded and led the firm's special opportunities unit and advised on transactions representing over $200 billion in deal value.

Rahul also directed the Next Bretton Woods Group at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a global convening forum for rising leaders in economic and financial policy across the G20 economies. Previously, he served as a staff economist for the Council of Economic Advisers at the Obama White House, a consultant for the World Bank, and an advisor to England’s Chief Medical Officer.

Rahul has been named a Truman Scholar, Forbes 30 under 30, Economic Club of New York Fellow, Atlantik-Brücke Young Leader, French-American Foundation Young Leader, BMW Foundation Responsible Leader, Council on Foreign Relations Corporate Leader, and one of Business Insider’s “top dealmakers in digital health,” and he has authored a range of articles, policy briefs, and book chapters on economic issues. He has also served on the board of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy and the Lazard Foundation, and was an outside economic advisor for the Biden-Harris presidential campaign.

Rahul received graduate degrees from Oxford and the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar, and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Rice University with degrees in engineering and economics.

Jagmeet Singh

Leader, Canada's New Democrats, New Democratic Party of Canada, Canada

Jagmeet Singh was born in Scarborough, Ontario and spent some time growing up on Canada's East coast before moving back to Southern Ontario. As a kid, he often felt on the margins and left out. That made him more determined to be himself. That’s why he grew up to defend the rights of others to be seen and heard for themselves. Jagmeet went to law school to stack his tool box to fight the powerful forces of poverty and racism. As a lawyer, he knew he could help those with little power and money to assert their own rights. He campaigned with anti-poverty groups and immigrant and refugee organizations for changes that would make people’s lives better. As a young man, his father became ill and he had to step up to care for his family. He experienced precarity and understood how important it is to have people around who care and can help. That’s just one of the reasons why he wants to help others. Jagmeet decided to run for office because too many government choices were hurting people, rather than helping them get ahead. As an MPP, Jagmeet took on auto insurance companies to end the exploitation of people. He fought for fair coverage at a fair price. Jagmeet also fought for workers at temporary job agencies so that they could get the security they deserve. He was tenacious about convincing the government to commit to ending arbitrary street checks or ‘carding’. As Leader of Canada’s NDP, Jagmeet believes that how we pay for and deliver services to Canadians must work everyone.