New Class
We are delighted to welcome nearly 100 new Young Global Leaders to our community of outstanding people addressing the world's most pressing problems. From courageous journalists uncovering the most critical political and human rights issues of our time to savvy entrepreneurs transforming the way we work with technology, this year's class is packed with brilliant minds and passionate leaders from business, civil society, academia, and government. Discover the new class:
7 YGLs in South Asia

Ali Akhai
As an initiative-driven leader, Ali believes in the significance of diverse business, technological innovation, and talent, ready to lead impact with a desire to improve human well-being. He is recognized as the face of the Martin Dow Group and has received praise for his in-depth knowledge of numerous facets of the pharmaceutical industry.
After completing his Bachelor of Science business graduate degree (BSc) from Brunel University in the UK, he proceeded to further his education with a double Master's degree. He holds a Master of Science in Global Business from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom and a Master of Science in International Business Development & Consulting from Novancia Business School in France.
He joined the Martin Dow Group of Companies in 2016 after completing a structured orientation program in Marketing, Finance, Business Development, Human Resources, and Regulatory Affairs. In 2017, he assumed the role of Business Development Lead, launching eight new products. By October 2018, he succeeded his father to be the next Chairman of the Martin Dow Group.
Ali is playing an essential role in shaping the future of the Martin Dow Group, carrying on his father's vision by guiding the group's foray into further diversification through successful strategic acquisitions and flexible technologies.
Besides dedicating his time to grow the business, Ali is deeply involved in Philanthropic endeavors, he has taken on roles in 3 leading Healthcare institutions. He is the Core Committee Member of the Shaukat Khanum Karachi Project, a Member of the Fund-Raising Committee at The Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) and a Trustee at the Memon Health & Education Foundation supporting and ensuring free quality healthcare service.
With his impeccable leadership, he is now expanding the Martin Dow Group’s worldwide partnerships, talent development, and industry influence.

Madhukeshwar Desai
Madhukeshwar Desai is an Indian lawyer and politician. He was appointed the National Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha at 25, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, making him the youngest Vice President in the party's history. He was re-appointed National Vice President for a second and third term in 2017 and 2021. An Advocate by profession, Madhukeshwar set up the Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration in 2016 and currently serves as its CEO.

Vibin B Joseph
Dr. Vibin Joseph, Chief Executive Officer of BiOZEEN and Management Committee member at PJB Group, is a co-founder and technopreneur. He stewards global operations that process and formulate more than a billion doses of vaccines every year. Vibin has ensured continuous production support across five continents through innovating self-managing teams. He has supported an inclusive industry structure that emphasizes learning ecosystems focused on upskilling more than 130 small enterprises in India. Committed to knowledge dissemination and equity, he has facilitated industry seminars and career progression for more than 2,000 graduates. Vibin is an Engineer and biologist by training with degrees from PESIT, Imperial College London, and Doctorate from Warwick University. His research interests lie in systems design, design psychology, and moderating industry influencers. With a vision to enable every country to produce vaccines locally, Vibin is a subject expert and consultant with the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturing Network and partners with the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative. Vibin inspires positive change as a One Young World Ambassador and Gates Foundation Goalkeeper for UN sustainable development goals. He is a director at the Imperial College India Foundation and chairs the alumni association in South India. The Irish Independent described him as a future leader and recognized by Imperial College Business School for outstanding contribution to society.

Tanvi Ratna
Tanvi Ratna is a policy advisor specializing in digital currencies and emerging technologies. She has worked for leading global decision-makers such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the US Foreign Affairs Committee on Capital Hill, and several ministries and state governments, handling policy design, execution, and liaison in live, complex policy environments. Her analysis has been featured in leading media networks such as CNBC, BBC, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, CoinDesk, CoinTelegraph, and Economic Times. She holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from Georgia Tech and a Master's in Public Policy from Georgetown University and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Aaditya Thackeray
Mr. Aaditya Thackeray is a Leader of the Shivsena & President of the Yuva Sena (Shivsena’s youth-wing). He recently served (2019-2022) as a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Maharashtra and handled three portfolios; Environment & Climate Change, Tourism & Protocol. As part of the Government of Maharashtra he also served as the Guardian Minister for the Mumbai Suburban district and Chaired the Padma Awards (national awards for recognition) Recommendation Committee. He represents the Worli constituency in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Thackeray is an avid environmentalist, and works passionately on climate action and urban planning.
His policy drives ensured many cities across Maharashtra like Mumbai got its own Climate Action Plan and the Electric Vehicle Policy 2021, that gave a push for 10,000 electric buses in Mumbai, amongst many more for other cities.
A football enthusiast, he serves as the Vice-President of the Western India Football Association and as the President of the Mumbai District Football Association. He graduated with a BA in History from St. Xavier’s College and an LL.B. from Kishinchand Chellaram (K.C) Law College, Mumbai. Furthermore Mr. Thackeray is also a published poet.

Aakrit Vaish
Aakrit Vaish is the Co-Founder & CEO of Jio Haptik, one of the world's largest AI companies. He founded the company in 2013 as Haptik, which was acquired by Reliance Jio Platforms in 2019 in a $100 million transaction, forming the new entity of Jio Haptik. Aakrit has been a pioneer in the conversational AI space, leading the wave of transforming customer experience digitally. Under his leadership, Haptik has powered more than 200 brands globally, including Whirlpool, HP, Zurich Insurance, Disney+, KFC & more. The platform processes over 4 billion interactions annually and is consistently mentioned as a top industry player by Gartner, Forrester & Everest. Haptik was named a category leader in Bot Platforms by G2 in their Spring 2022 report, based on a rating of 4.5/5.0 by more than 100 customers. Outside of Haptik, Aakrit is an active angel investor in startups in India, having made close to 80 such investments. He is a charter member of the Entrepreneurs Organisation and Co-Chair of H2 India. He serves on the boards of various technology startups, helping them with go-to-market, scaling & team building. Aakrit has been recognized by Entrepreneur 35 Under 35, Forbes 30 Under 30, and Businessworld 40 Under 40. He has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign.

Sudarshan Venu
Sudarshan Venu is the M.D. of TVS Motor Company. He is also on the board of Sundaram - Clayton Ltd, the holding Company, and TVS Credit, the group's financial services arm. He is an automotive enthusiast and grew up amidst the roar of the engines of India's oldest factory racing team. Over the last few years, Mr. Venu has been charting the future of one of India's leading two-wheeler manufacturers, making it the most awarded two-wheeler company. He now plans to transform the Company into a top global mobility player. Under his leadership, TVS acquired U.K.s iconic motorcycle brand Norton Motorcycles and has set up a completely new manufacturing facility in the U.K. Mr. Venu also strongly believes in staying ahead of the emerging trends: electrification and personal mobility are two big areas of focus. He is looking to build a strategic personal e-mobility ecosystem by scaling unique brands. He recently led TVS to acquire the European e-bike brand EGO Movement and Switzerland's largest e-bike company, Swiss E-Mobility Group. With the vision of enriching the life of every Indian, he is also leading the change at TVS Credit Services. He holds a Graduate Degree with Honors in Management and Technology from the University of Pennsylvania. He also obtained a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the School of Engineering and, a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School & an M.Sc. in International Tech from the University of Warwick in the U.K.