Young Global Leaders

History

The program was founded by Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum in 1992 under the name "Global Leaders for Tomorrow" and was renamed to Young Global Leaders in 2003. Schwab created the group with $1 million won from the Dan David Prize, and the inaugural 2005 class comprised 237 young leaders. Since then, a total of some 1400 individuals have been inducted into the YGL community.

Reception

''BusinessWeek'''s Bruce Nussbaum describes the Young Global Leaders as "the most exclusive private social network in the world" and "perhaps the paramount networking network in the globe", while the organization bills the group of selected leaders as representing "the voice for the future and the hopes of the next generation". It has elsewhere also been described as a grouping that is "leading the charge in nurturing a special community of leaders committed to addressing the world's most urgent challenges."

Skeptics suggest that the grouping is "instrumental in shaping policy around the world, undermining democratic principles, and creating obedient and compliant servants" In dispelling such conspiracy theories of the influence of the organisation, Michelle Rempel, a Canadian Conservative politician who found out she had been selected as a Young Global Leader in 2016 with an email that she initially had assumed was spam, noted that the 2017 meeting was "no different in feel from an academic conference, if a bit more global in nature and with more high-profile politicians and CEOs in attendance." One academic, having studied the grouping, pointed out that while such social networks provides "privileged access to a network of elites" and represents "a concentration of cultural and social as well as symbolic capital", it would be simplistic to conclude that membership would "deterministically imply that the actors will obey its values." Another has suggested that the platform effectively selects already prominent and influential individuals, noting that "Young Global Leaders are not "put in power" like many believe. You cannot become a YGL unless you are already in a powerful position."

Selection process

Representing 70 nations, Young Global Leaders are nominated by alumni to serve six-year terms and are subject to veto during the selection process. Candidates must be younger than 38 when accepted (so active YGLs are 44 and younger), and highly accomplished in their fields. There have been many hundreds of honorees, including several popular celebrities, alongside recognized high achievers and innovators in politics, business, academia, media, and the arts. The group presently comprises some 1400 individuals, many of whom head numerous governments and Fortune 500 companies, have won Nobel Peace Prizes and Grammy Awards, and are UN Goodwill Ambassadors.

The selection process includes a screening without the candidate's knowledge and, at least for the class of 2024, "nominated candidates may be invited to submit a brief application" and "shortlisted candidates may be asked to meet with a member of the YGL Community". Therefore, some nominee's may not be aware they were nominated unless they are selected, and only when they are selected. Roughly 100 YGL are selected every year. The selection criteria are strict, requiring that individuals at start-ups be founders, chief executive officers or chairs of boards (especially of series C start-ups and unicorns), individuals in the public sector be ministers, parliament members, mayors of capital cities or highly populated cities, governors, or heads of political parties and for civil society leaders to be founders and chief executive officers of consequential civil society organizations or social enterprises, or hold a senior leadership role in a large global NGO. These individuals cannot apply to join but instead are identified and proposed through a qualified nomination process, which is then vetted by Heidrick and Struggles, and subsequently vetted by a selection committee chaired by Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan.

Notable Young Global Leaders

Young Global Leaders straddle various fields, and are often highly accomplished leaders in their respective fields, including leading politicians, royalty, very senior members of Government, social activists and those in the business and finance world. As of 2022, the eight most prominent countries for Young Global Leaders are China, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the USA, with these being the only countries globally who have more than 30 Young Global Leaders.

Some prominent individuals who have been elected as Young Global Leaders include the following:

Angola

• Vera Daves - Minister of Finance

Argentina

• Martín Guzmán - Former Minister of Economy
• Esteban Bullrich - Former Minister of Education

Australia

• Kate Ellis - Politician and former Minister for Employment Participation and Childcare
• Clare O'Neil - Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security
• Sarah Hanson-Young - Politician
• Kaila Murnain - Former politician
• Yalda Hakim - Media personality
• Melanie Perkins - CEO of Canva
• Jessica Mauboy - Singer and songwriter

Austria

• Sebastian Kurz - Chancellor

Belgium

• Queen Mathilde - Queen
• Alexander De Croo - Prime Minister

Brazil

• Anielle Franco – Minister of Racial Equality of Brazil (Class of 2024).
• Ilona Szabó de Carvalho – Co-founder and President of the Igarapé Institute (Class of 2015).
• Joice Toyota Mendes – Co-founder and Executive Director of Motriz; founder of Vetor Brasil (Class of 2019).

Bulgaria

• Nikolina Angelkova - Former Minister of Tourism

Canada

• Justin Trudeau - Prime Minister
• Karina Gould - Leader of the Government
• Jagmeet Singh - Politician and leader of the New Democratic Party
• Michelle Zatlyn - Co-founder of Cloudflare
• Dominique Anglade - Former leader of the Quebec Liberal Party
• Mélanie Joly - Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Michelle Rempel - Politician and former Shadow Minister for Natural Resources

Chile

• Izkia Siches - Former Minister of the Interior and Public Security

China

• Li Yinuo - Entrepreneur and educator
• Jack Ma - Co-founder of the AliBaba group
• Tan Yuanyuan - Accomplished ballet dancer
• Carol Yu - Media personality

Costa Rica

• Carlos Alvarado Quesada - Former President

Croatia

• Marin Soljačić - Professor at MIT

Denmark

• Frederik X - King of Denmark
• Queen Mary - Queen of Denmark
• Lea Wermelin - Former Minister for the Environment

Estonia

• Kristo Käärmann - CEO of Wise

Ethiopia

• Sara Menker - Businesswoman and entrepreneur
• Yetnebersh Nigussie - Lawyer and human rights activist

Finland

• Sanna Marin - Former Prime Minister
• Alexander Stubb - President

France

• Emmanuel Macron - President
• Nicolas Sarkozy - President
• Gabriel Attal - Former Prime Minister
• Stéphane Bancel - CEO of Moderna
• Marlène Schiappa - Politician and former Secretary of State for Citizenship
• Mathieu Flamini - Former footballer and entrepreneur

Germany

• Annalena Baerbock - Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
• Angela Merkel
• Nico Rosberg - Former Formula 1 Champion
• Michael Schumacher - Former Formula 1 Champion
• Philipp Rösler - Former Vice-chancellor and Federal Minister of Health and Economics
• Jens Spahn - Former Federal Minister of Health
• Cem Özdemir - Former Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture

Greece

• Niki Kerameus - Minister of Interior
• Eleni Antoniadou - Greek public figure

Japan

• Fumihito - Crown Prince
• Naomi Koshi - Politician; former mayor of Otsu
• Emi Kusano - Artist

Georgia

• Mamuka Bakhtadze - Former Prime Minister
• Mikheil Saakashvili - Former President

Haiti

• Wyclef Jean - Rapper and musician

India

• Sheetal Amte - Social entrepreneur and public health expert
• Navin Jindal - Entrepreneur
• Armstrong Pame - Indian Administrative Services
• Manasi Subramaniam
• Ram Mohan Naidu - Politician

Indonesia

• William Tanuwijaya - Entrepreneur
• John Riady - Entrepreneur
• Grace Natalie - Former chairperson of the Indonesian Solidarity Party
• Anies Baswedan - Presidential candidate for 2024 election

Ireland

• Leo Varadkar - Politician
• Simon Harris - President

Italy

• Matteo Renzi - Former Prime Minister

Libya

• Saif al-Islam Gaddafi - son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi

Malaysia

• Tunku Ali Redhauddin ibni Tuanku Muhriz - Tunku Besar (Senior Prince) of Seri Menanti
• Khairy Jamaluddin - Politician and former Minister for Health
• Hannah Yeoh - Politician and former Minister of Youth and Sports
• Syed Saddiq - Politician and former Youth and Sports Minister
• Nurul Izzah Anwar - Politician and daughter of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
• Shahril Sufian Hamdan - Politician and media commentator

Mexico

• Enrique Peña Nieto - Former President

Montenegro

• Igor Lukšić - Former Prime Minister

Myanmar

• Zin Mar Aung - Minister of Foreign Affairs

Netherlands

• Mark Rutte - Former Prime Minister
• Daan Roosegaarde - Famous Dutch artist
• Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands - King

New Zealand

• Jacinda Ardern - Former Prime Minister

Norway

• Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway - Crown Prince
• Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway - Crown Princess
• Hadia Tajik - Politician and former Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion and Minister of Culture

Russia

• Vladimir Putin

Serbia

• Vuk Jeremic - Former president of the United Nations General Assembly

Spain

• Albert Rivera Diaz - Politician

Singapore

• Aaron Maniam - Academic
• Mohamed Faizal - Supreme Court Judicial Commissioner
• Eunice Olsen - Actress and former politician
• Sun Dorjee - Social entrepreneur
• Juliana Chan - Scientist and entrepreneur
• Thum Ping Tjin - Historian
• Jackie Yi-Ru Ying - Scientist
• Penny Low - Politician

South Africa

• Jasandra Nyker - Entrepreneur
• Lindiwe Mazibuko - Politician and former leader of the opposition
• Trevor Manuel - Retired politician
• Charlize Theron - Actress
• Elon Musk - CEO of Tesla

Sweden

• Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden - Crown princess

Switzerland

• Roger Federer - Tennis player
• Nicole Schwab - businesswoman, author

Tunisia

• Amira Yahyaoui - Tunisian multiawarded activist and entrepreneur
• Lina Ben Mhenni - Tunisian activist, blogger, writer, and 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
• Wafa Makhlouf - Politician, Former Member of the Tunisian Parliament, and entrepreneur

Ukraine

• Hanna Hopko - Politician and former chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

United Kingdom

• David Cameron - Former Prime Minister
• Amal Clooney - Barrister and wife of George Clooney
• Ed Miliband - Politician; former leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition
• Richard Walker - Executive Chairman of Iceland
• Devi Sridhar - Academic and public health advocate
• Nathaniel Rothschild, 5th Baron Rothschild - Financier

United States of America

• Mark Zuckerberg - CEO and Founder of Facebook
• Jimmy Wales - Co-founder of Wikipedia
• Pete Buttigieg - Politician and US Secretary of Transportation
• Leonardo DiCaprio - Actor
• Sheryl Sandberg - Former Facebook executive
• Jerry Yang - Co-Founder of Yahoo!
• Sergey Brin - Co-founder of Google
• Chad Hurley - Co-founder of YouTube
• Anderson Cooper - Journalist
• Alexander Soros - investor and philanthropist, son of George Soros
• Lera Auerbach - Accomplished classical composer, conductor and concert pianist
• Samantha Power - Former Ambassador to the United Nations
• Chris Tucker - Comedian and actor
• Ashton Kutcher - Actor
• Peter Thiel - Co-founder of numerous companies, including PayPal
• Julian Castro - Politician; Former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• Sanjay Gupta - Neurosurgeon and journalist
• Leana Wen - Doctor and author
• Chelsea Clinton - American writer and daughter of former US President Bill Clinton
• Sam Altman - American entrepreneur
• Megan Rapinoe - US former footballer
• Kabir Sehgal - Artist, author, and producer
• Jack Conte - Founder of Patreon
• Salman Khan - CEO of Khan Academy
• Joe Gebbia - Co-founder of Airbnb

Venezuela

• Maria Corina Machado - Venezuelan opposition leader and Noble Peace Prize winner 2025

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