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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.

Naif Sheshah

Assistant Deputy Governor for Planning and Development & Chief Digital Officer, Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Saudi Arabia

Naif Sheshah, serves as the Assistant Deputy Governor for Planning and Development & Chief Digital Officer at the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST), In addition to his role as the Chief Transformational Office at the Saudi Space Commission. He also has a wealth of corporate strategy experience and a reputation for developing and implementing complex technology business process solutions in demanding environments. Prior to his current role, Naif was the General Manager of Planning and Development & Acting General Manager of Postal and Logistics Services. Particular highlights of his time at the CST include spearheading the formulation of the organizational strategy for the year 2019-2023, playing a prominent role to develop the Saudi ICT sector strategy, and leading a team that was twice awarded the EFQM’s certificate of Institutional Commitment to Excellence. A strategic thinker who combines extensive corporate experience, an entrepreneurial spirit, and unique academic insight, Naif’s career has crosscuts with multiple sectors such as healthcare, education, aviation, telecommunications, and petrochemicals industries, where in due time he has demonstrated a strong track record helping to steer forward-thinking businesses through periods of significant growth, change, and improvement. Naif Sheshah is a graduate of INSEAD’s Management Acceleration Program and holds a master’s degree in Business Process Management from the Queensland University of Technology, in addition to a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology. He sits on the board at the National Information Technology Academy, and for several years acted as ambassador for ADAA, the Kingdom’s center of excellence for performance measurement.

Virginijus Sinkevicius

Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, European Commission, Belgium

Virginijus Sinkevičius has been the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries since 2019. He was formerly the Minister of Economy of Lithuania (2017-2019). Before becoming the Minister of Economy, Sinkevičius led the Economic Committee of the Parliament of Lithuania. Sinkevičius was elected to Parliament in October 2016. Before that, he was a Team Lead for Regulatory Affairs at Invest Lithuania. Prior to joining Invest Lithuania, Sinkevičius was Managing Editor at the US Office of The Lithuanian Tribune in Washington D.C. Sinkevičius holds a BA in International Relations and Affairs from Aberystwyth University and a Master’s degree in European International Affairs from Maastricht University.

Omar Sultan Al Olama

Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Office of the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates

Omar bin Sultan Al Olama was appointed Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work of the United Arab Emirates in 2020. He joined the government in 2017 as Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, where he was responsible for enhancing government performance by investing the latest technologies and tools of artificial intelligence and applying them in various sectors. Al Olama is also the Managing Director of the World Government Summit in the Prime Minister’s Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, and Deputy Director of the Future Department at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, where he contributed to the preparation of the UAE Centennial 2071 strategy and the UAE 4th Industrial Revolution Strategy. Al Olama has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the American University of Dubai, and a Diploma in Project Management and Excellence from the American University of Sharjah.

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.