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.

Mohammed Al-Ghanim

Group Chief Executive Officer, Hamad S. Al-Ghanim Group, Kuwait

Mohammed H. Al Ghanim is Chief Executive Officer of Hamad S. Al-Ghanim & Sons Group, a family-owned business, where he leads a group of companies to develop the best practices in the engineering field required to solve imminent and longstanding infrastructure and climate challenges by employing new technologies in the EPC field. Coming from a background of youth leadership and activism having served on several international youth advisory councils, including the UN Population Fund, Al Ghanim actively seeks to re-examine the business proposition from being purely a profit-generating institution to one that addresses society’s problem as a whole. Al-Ghanim holds a BA from Tufts University in Massachusetts and an MA from Georgetown University in Washington, DC in Political Science.

Lamya Al Haj

Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman

Lamya Al Haj holds a PhD in Structural and Molecular Biology from UCL and an MSc in Environmental Science and Technology from UNSW. She is a researcher on biodiesel alternatives to oil, and an Associate Professor at the Sultan Qaboos University. Lamya founded a speakers' platform in GCC region “Jalasat Mulhimoon” to showcase role models and inspire younger generations. She has spoken at conferences and corporate events including Harvard and IMD Middle East Alumni conferences on leadership. She was recently selected as a judge for an MIT based competition “Innovators under 35” organized by MIT Technology Review. She is the founder of “Coach4Change” where she worked alongside and supported senior government officials, CEOs, business leaders and boards around the country. She received numerous awards & recognitions including the “Boban Marcovic Prize in Environmental Science”, The “Gulf Intelligence - Occidental Award”, “National Research Award”, “Omani Woman Award 2019” for her innovation, and the prestigious “L’Oréal UNESCO award for women in science- Middle east fellowship award”- 2018. She is featured in the book "100 most successful Omani woman" and more recently classified as top 20 most inspiring persons in Oman by TAS ICON awards. She is also a Fellow at The World Academy of Science (TWAS 2019-2023 affiliate) and a YGL class 2020.
Her passion is in the fields of disruptive education, R&D, youth empowerment and community service.

Mohamed Al Hashemi

Chief Executive Officer, Union Coop, United Arab Emirates

Mohamed Al Hashemi is the CEO of Union Coop, publicly traded coop in UAE. Previously held the role of Country Head of Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment in the UAE. He held previously the role of Country Head in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In his role, he leads a team of over 1,300 employees and is responsible for Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment and Cinemas as well as Majid Al Futtaim Lifestyle. During his tenure in this role, Mohamed introduced Cinemas to Saudi and helped create and shape the industry. He focused his efforts on Customer Experience and Operational Excellence achieving market leadership in the Kingdom. Along with, Mohamed is serving as an advisory board member at the General Commission for Audio Visual in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Ministry of Media), and a mentor at Endeavor, steering businesses to grow country’s GDP. Before being named Country Head in 2018, Mohamed was the Director of Business Development and Marketing at Majid Al Futtaim Healthcare, Management Reporting and Analysis at Majid Al Futtaim Ventures, Head of Treasury GCC at Majid Al Futtaim Retail. Prior to joining Majid Al Futtaim, Mohamed started his career as a Corporate Banker in Emirates Bank Group focusing on various industries as Aviation, Retail and Construction. Mohamed received both a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an Executive MBA in Strategic Management from the prestigious Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE, Dubai. Mohamed is a firm believer in empowering the youth to reach their full potential through business and about creating a sustainable business environments and business models for generations to grow.

Faisal Alibrahim

Minister of Economy and Planning, Ministry of Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia

Faisal F. Alibrahim is the Minister of Economy and Planning of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Alibrahim is also the Supervisor of the Secretariat of the Council of Economic and Development
Affairs (CEDA) and a member of the council. His Excellency also chairs the Board of Directors of
the General Authority for Statistics.

Alibrahim is a member of several governmental committees such as the Finance Committee, the
Strategic Management Committee, the CEDA Standing Committee, the Supreme National
Investment Council, the Supreme National Council for Industry, the Supreme Transportation and
Logistics Committee, the Large Companies Investment Committee, the National Incentives
Committee, the Privatization Program Committee, the Financial Sector Development Program
Committee, and the National Transformation Program Committee. HE also serves on several
boards including the Public Investment Fund, National Development Fund, the Royal Commission
for Riyadh City, the General Organization for Social Insurance, the Local Content and Government
Procurement Authority, the National Center for Performance Management, and the Cultural
Development Fund. His Excellency served as secretary/second secretary of the Aramco IPO
Committees. He was also chairman of the Executive Committee and member of the Supervisory
Committee for the Kingdom’s participation in EXPO 2020 Dubai which has received multiple
awards and recognitions.

Previously, Alibrahim served as Vice Minister of Economy and Planning and prior to that held key
positions at Saudi Aramco including head of mergers and acquisitions, project manager of King
Salman International Complex for Maritime Services and Industries, project manager for the Vela-
Bahri merger, the largest transaction in Saudi at that time, and Vice President of Aramco
Development Company.

Alibrahim holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, a bachelor’s degree in economics, a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and a Minor in
Management Information Systems from the Pennsylvania State University. HE is a World Economic
Forum Young Global Leader and member of the UCLA Health International Advisory Board.

Ghosson Al Khaled

Owner and Managing Director, Palms Beach Hotel and Spa, Kuwait

Ghosson Ghassan Alkhaled began her career as an industrial engineer in the industrial sector of ACICO Group in 2002. Since then, she has made her way up the career ladder to become Deputy Chief Executive Officer of ACICO Industries. In her current role, Alkhaled is responsible for managing operations across all sectors, companies and Group subsidiaries in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.

Since joining, Alkhaled has played an integral role at ACICO Group, achieving remarkable growth, expanding into new markets and increasing overall operational efficiency across all factories; thereby improving the Group’s asset quality and increasing profitability. Additionally, she worked on building an internal culture of teamwork among members and has continuously worked on finding new, innovative solutions to business challenges.

A notable national economic figure and thought leader, Alkhaled also represented Kuwait’s private sector in a number of international workshops and was appointed in 2017 as a member of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development in Kuwait by the Council of Ministers. Moreover, during the same year, she was selected to be part of a prestigious group entitled ‘Young Global Leader’ by the World Economic Forum, in which she worked to tackle global issues topics such as development and other pressing challenges faced by the global economy.

As a young, Kuwaiti businesswoman, Alkhaled held several leadership positions and was on the list of the Top 100 Most Powerful Arab Businesswomen by Forbes Middle East. She was also selected among the 100 World’s Most Influential Arabs by Arabian Business Magazine. Alkhaled was also awarded ‘Woman Game Changer’ at the Global WIL Economic Forum for Entrepreneurs and Businesswomen in Dubai.

Nick Allardice

I start, grow and support ambitious companies, organizations and teams that aim to put a positive dent in the universe.

I was previously CEO and Chief Product Officer at Change.org, growing the worlds largest platform for grassroots change to 75m+ monthly users, $70m+ revenue, and 350+ staff. As GM International at Change.org I established go-to-market, campaigns and PR teams in 20 countries. I co-founded Live Below the Line, a fundraising and awareness campaign that’s raised $20m for fighting extreme poverty. I’ve led social and political campaigns in support of democracy, global health and climate action across the US, Asia and Australia. I’ve served on the board of Paid Leave for the United States, MakePovertyHistory, OzGreen and the AYCC. I started my career as an independent facilitator, and perhaps my hardest job was my 6 months as a Boner at an Abattoir in rural Australia.

I’ve spoken, keynoted or taught on entrepreneurship, product development/growth, AI and social impact at Reforge, Oxford University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Melbourne University, Products that Count, Personal Democracy Forum and RightsCon.

I’ve degrees in Law and Philosophy / Political Science from Monash University, and studied AI at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. I was recognized as a ‘Young Global Leader’ by The World Economic Forum, as one of Melbourne’s 100 most influential people by The Age, and received an Australian Leadership Award by the Australian Davos Connection.

Brooklyn, New York is home since 2014. I grew up in rural Australia, and have lived and worked in San Francisco, Melbourne, Sydney, Bangkok, New Delhi and Jakarta. I spend down time running, playing pickleball and thinking about or investing in community and relationships.

Hamad AlMahmeed

Director-General, Office of the Prime Minister of Bahrain, Bahrain

Director General of Bahrain Prime Minister's Office

Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai

Chief Executive Officer, Milaha Group, Qatar

Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Milaha Group (Qatar Navigation) since 2015. He sits on the Board of Directors of Nakilat and QTerminals, a joint venture between Mawani and Milaha. Prior, Al-Mannai held various leadership positions at Qatargas, the world's largest LNG company where he oversaw the largest LNG supply chain, Europe's largest regasification terminal and the South Hook LNG Terminal. Throughout his career, Al-Mannai has developed extensive experience in multiple fields, including shipping, energy and commercial activities. He has a degree in aeronautical engineering.

Mohamed Almaraj

Chief Executive Officer, ila Bank, Bahrain

Mr. Almaraj is the Chief Executive Officer of Bank ABC’s Digital Retail Bank “ila” in Bahrain, joining the bank in 2015. Before this appointment, Mohamed served as the COO of ila Bank. Previously, he played a key role in several Group level initiatives, including establishing Bank ABC’s DIFC office, launching the Debt Capital Markets practice, and the overall fintech strategy for Bank ABC. Before joining Bank ABC, Mr. Almaraj was a Senior Associate with the investment bank Perella Weinberg Partners in New York, focusing on mergers & acquisitions transactions and corporate restructurings in the technology, media, telecom, and financial services sectors. He has 13 years of experience in corporate finance, restructurings, fintech, and digital transformations across the GCC and the U.S. He holds a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, United States.

Moath Alnaeem

Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Alpha Capital, Saudi Arabia

Moath has co-founded Alpha Capital and built a profound organization, which has been a well-respected entity both locally and regionally, evidenced by the recognition received in 2021 from Forbes as it became among the 30 most prominent asset managers in the Middle East. Before Alpha Capital, Moath worked in Saudi Aramco and was entrusted by Saudi Aramcos Senior Management to be part of a carefully selected solid team to manage several asset classes of Saudi Aramcos USD multi-billion Global Pension Plans. Throughout the journey of Alpha Capital, Moath attracted top-tier investment professionals, delivered top-quartile public equity performance consistently, successfully exited from the first private equity investment at an impressive return and advised on the fundraising and structuring of the first Saudi digital bank that the Council of Ministers has licensed. Moath has demonstrated strong leadership skills while serving on various government and non-government boards and committees.

Wafa Al Obaidat

Chief Executive Officer, Obai and Hill, Bahrain

Wafa Alobaidat is the Founder and CEO of PLAYBOOK - A fast-growing digital membership networking platform focused on connecting and supporting women and executive leaders in MENA. With an award-winning leadership team that is fully female-founded, our network has been making waves regionally and internationally. Wafa is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and public speaker represented by The Middle East leading speaker’s bureau, MENA Speakers. Her expertise lies at the nexus of growth and scaling up, with underlying themes of empowering women and youth, entrepreneurship in the Middle East, and starting and scaling companies. She was named one of the top 50 most influential women leaders in business by Business in the Gulf. She is a graduate of the University of the Arts London.

Suren Aloyan

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dasaran EdTech Company, Armenia

Suren is a social entrepreneur, the Founding President of Dasaran Ed-Tech Company, an Armenia-based software-as-a-service company providing innovative solutions in K12 education. In 2016 Dasaran was recognized as one of the best 5 innovative enterprises in the world by the UNDP. Suren brings more than 12 years of experience towards education system modernization through innovation and modern technologies, contributing to extensive data-driven policymaking, developing equal educational opportunities for all. Suren as a keynote speaker has delivered speeches for large auditoriums in different corners around the world – “Impact Investment and Innovation for SDGs” forum at the UN Headquarters in New York (USA), UNDP’s Social Good Summit in Switzerland, UNESCO MGIEP Conference in India, Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai (UAE), RISE Tech conference in Hong Kong, World Bank’s Understanding Risk Forum in Mexico, UAE-Armenia Investment Forum in Abu Dhabi, et al. Suren has served as a chief expert in RA Ministry of Defence for 11 years and received Admiral Isakov Medal of Honour awarded on RA Level. Military rank is captain in reserve. Suren has received Golden Commemorative Medal, the Highest award of RA Ministry of Education Science, was honored with the High state award by the President of RA.