World Economic Forum Announces Young Global Leaders For 2007

250 leading executives, public figures and intellectuals – all 40 or younger – chosen from around the world

Geneva, Switzerland, 16 January 2007 – The World Economic Forum released today the names of the 250 young leaders who have been selected Young Global Leaders 2007. This honour is bestowed each year by the World Economic Forum to recognize and acknowledge the top 250 young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, their commitment to society and their potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

Drawn from a pool of over 4,000 candidates, the Young Global Leaders nominated in 2007 have been chosen by a selection committee of 34 eminent international media leaders, including Marjorie Scardino, Chief Executive, Pearson, United Kingdom; Arthur Sulzberger, Chairman and Publisher, The New York Times, USA; Tom Glocer, Chief Executive Officer, Reuters, United Kingdom; and Hisashi Hieda, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Fuji Television Network, Japan. The committee is chaired by Her Majesty Queen Rania of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Young Global Leaders 2007 include 125 business leaders, as well as leaders from governments, academia, media and society at large from nearly 70 countries. The new class represents all regions, including nominees from East Asia (50), Europe (50), Middle East and North Africa (25), North America (50), South Asia (30), sub-Saharan Africa (20) and Latin America (25). The current community of 416 Young Global Leaders represents 90 countries and includes Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google; Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia; Kumi Naidoo, Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, Civicus: World Alliance for Citizen Participation; Daniela Mercury, Singer, Brazil; and Michelle Guthrie, Chief Executive Officer, Star Group.

“Confronting and tackling global challenges will require fresh, strategic thinking from global leaders, as well as innovative and truly international solutions based on global collaboration. This is why I created The Forum of Young Global Leaders – to be a voice for the future in global thought processes,” said Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. “This unique global network has the potential to tackle global challenges through knowledge sharing and leveraging horizontal networks of collaborative platforms. Together, they form a powerful international force for the global common good.”

Established in 2004 by Professor Klaus Schwab, The Forum of Young Global Leaders is a unique, multistakeholder community of the world’s most extraordinary young leaders who dedicate a part of their time to jointly address global challenges and who are committed to devote part of their knowledge and energy to collectively work towards a better future. Together, they engage in the 2030 Initiative, a comprehensive endeavour, to understand current and future trends, risks and opportunities both at global and regional levels, formulate a positive vision for the world in 2030 and put forward concrete strategies and workstreams to translate their vision into action.

For more information and a detailed list (PDF, 9 pages, 150 KB) of all Young Global Leaders, please visit www.younggloballeaders.org as of 16 January 00.01 CET


The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world. The Forum provides a collaborative framework for the world’s leaders to address global issues, engaging particularly its corporate members in global citizenship.

Incorporated as a foundation, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. The Forum has NGO consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Contact Information

Yann Zopf

Senior Media Manager

World Economic Forum

Contact via E-mail