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The Forum of Young Global Leaders Annual Report June 2014-July 2015

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The Forum of Young Global Leaders Annual Report June 2014-July 2015 The Forum of Young Global Leaders Annual Report June 2014-July 2015 A Foundation of the World Economic Forum Contents 3 Foreword 4 Introduction 5 Global Footprint 6 Class of 2015 7 Global Activity Highlights 10 Education Modules 12 Impact 14 Alumni Community 15 Financial Statements 16 Dangote Fellowship 17 Governance 19 Partners World Economic Forum 91-93 route de la Capite CH-1223 Cologny/Geneva Switzerland Tel.: +41 (0)22 869 1212 Fax: +41 (0)22 786 2744 Email: [email protected] www.weforum.org World Economic Forum® © 2015 – All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or Transmitted in any form or by any means, including Photocopying and recording, or by any information Storage and retrieval system. REF 121015 Foreword Today we are living in a world that is YGL Initiatives. My challenge to the more complex and interdependent than Young Global Leaders at the 2015 YGL ever before, where disruptive change Annual Summit in Geneva was to see happens at breakneck speed and those and other collaborations, scale yesterday’s science fiction is today’s to new heights and demonstrate to the latest product. This poses huge, and world that the power of a connected seemingly intractable challenges for community of YGLs is far greater than the next generation of leaders. They sum of the individual actions of each of must look beyond current strategies, them. institutions and attitudes with fresh thinking, multistakeholder engagement This year marks one of transitions and and dynamic new ways of collaborating I would like to thank David Aikman to develop innovative solutions that are for his leadership of the Forum of truly global. Young Global Leaders since 2007. David has now moved to Beijing to Over the past decade Young Global take on the important role as the Chief Klaus Schwab Leaders have forged valuable and Representative Officer of the Forum’s Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum productive bonds at local, regional activities in China. He has worked with and global levels that have changed the Young Global Leaders and the society for the better. They have Forum to build a powerful community undergone a transformative leadership that can leverage the success of the journey being challenged at the first decade of the YGL Foundation in world’s leading universities and by their the years to come under the direction community peers as they navigated of John Dutton, the Head of the new organizational challenges. The Forum of Young Global Leaders and community has come together to Adrian Monck who has taken David’s launch initiatives that address many of responsibility as the Head of the the world’s global challenges: Table for Forum’s Foundations. Two, Deworm the World, Global Dignity and Learn Money have positively As you review the content of this affected millions of lives in the first report, I am sure you will agree that decade of the community. the work undertaken by the YGL Community is crucial for addressing In recent years I have challenged many of the world challenges. incoming YGLs to embrace this spirit of collective action and been impressed to see new efforts like the Circular Economy Initiative, Thirst, Beyond Tomorrow, MUrgency, Social Credits, and the YGL SDG Initiative take up the mantle of a new generation of Annual Report 2014-2015 3 Introduction This report covers the activities of the Forum of Young Global Leaders from July 2014 to June 2015. It marks the start of the 11th year for the foundation and comes as both the YGL and Alumni communities look to further evolve into the next decade. The community’s focus was on scaling it’s impact, beginning with the 2014 Annual Summit in China, where over 350 YGLs kicked-off a process to develop new ideas and identify areas for collaboration. In April the inaugural YGL Impact Lab, led by members of the community, provided an important incubation space for many of those ideas to find focus and carry forward next steps toward meaningful impact. Adrian Monck The offering of educational modules grew substantially. YGL education modules Head of Public Engagement were held at Lee Kuan Yew School in Singapore, Oxford Said Business School in and Foundations United Kingdom, INCAE Business School in Costa Rica, and WITS University in World Economic Forum South Africa. These modules ran alongside the traditional cornerstone module at the Harvard Kennedy School, where over 600 YGLs have experienced a 10-day, tuition-free course over the last decade. This fiscal year saw a revamp of the membership model and a move to a more holistic, sustainable system where each YGL made a contribution at the level appropriate to his/her organization. This shift provided an important foundation for the community, ensuring its viability for years to come and the opportunity to pursue additional revenue streams that can invest in impact, individual leadership journeys and the community as a whole. The progress achieved over the past year was made possible thanks to the leadership of hundreds of YGLs, committed to co-creating a community that is contributing to one-another’s growth, to the activities of the World Economic John Dutton Forum, and to shaping a better world. Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders World Economic Forum 4 The Forum of Young Global Leaders Global Footprint 23% 27% 7% 6% 7% 14% 7% 9% Annual Report 2014-2015 5 Class of 2015 The 2015 class of 187 YGLs is split evenly between From the world of business, the class includes Xiaomi vice- business and non-profit sectors, the latter including arts president Hugo Barra, Kickstarter’s 35-year-old CEO Yancey and culture, civil society, policy and government, media, Strickler and New Zealand software entrepreneur Victoria intellectual and social entrepreneurs. Ransom – whose company Wildfire was bought by Google for $350 million. Women represented 50% of this year’s class, and with half the intake coming from emerging economies, the world’s The class of 2015 also includes scientists, such as infertility future leadership is becoming more broad-based in terms pioneer Michelle Dipp and eye health researcher Andrew of both gender and geography. The class includes Afghan Bastawrous; sports personalities such as China’s tennis tech entrepreneur Roya Mahboob, whose classrooms are champion Li Na; artists, including Daan Roosegaarde, connecting more than 160,000 of her young countrywomen creator of the world’s first photoluminescent bicycle path; to the world, and Mumbai-born Ashish Goyal, who lost his and cutting-edge South African architect Mokena Makeka. sight by the age of 22 but became the first blind person to gain a Wharton MBA and trade on Wall Street. We are confident that these newly recognized Young Global Leaders, like those before them, will find their membership From the political world are Smriti Irani, the youngest in the community to be a stimulating and challenging member of India’s cabinet; Safak Pavey, the first disabled experience that enhances their worldview and shapes their woman elected to the Turkish parliament; and Japan’s approach to leadership in their fields. youngest elected female mayor, Naomi Koshi. Leaders from civil society include Mamadou Toure, who heads the advocacy group Africa 2.0. 6 The Forum of Young Global Leaders Global YGL Activities Global Activity Highlights 6-12 September 2014 16-22 October 2014 YGL Annual Summit and World Economic YGL-led Amazon Resilience Learning Journey Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions In October, 25 YGLs and their families explored the concept 400 YGLs, the largest-ever gathering, came together for of resilience deep in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. the 2014 YGL Annual Summit in Beijing & Tianjin, People’s Through forest walks, tree-climbing, kayaking adventures Republic of China. The summit marked an important and conversations with scientists and tribal leaders, the transition point from the first to second decade of the group discovered the thriving relationships within the forest, community’s activities. YGLs took part in an intense as well as the unique adaptations that have allowed the programme of learning journeys across Beijing and rain forest ecosystem to persist for 55 million years. During workshops focused on collaboration. They left with an hands-on workshops, dialogue and prototyping sessions, opportunity to build the next ten years by remembering the group applied their newfound understanding to their the accomplishments, culture and ethos that has formed own lives, sharing stories of resilience and vulnerability, the YGL community while leveraging the new activities – and developing individual commitments to become more enhanced collaborative impact, YGL Leadership Circles, personally resilient. additional YGL Education Modules, and new YGL-led events. The event pioneered “family-friendly” YGL interactions with a separate, parallel programme for children (ages 5-14) including nature walks with biologists, casting animal tracks, and traditional arts & crafts and common activities for all ages (fishing for piranhas, spotting giant otters, and kayaking.) Annual Report 2014-2015 7 19-24 January 2015 6-8 May 2015 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting World Economic Forum on Latin America Over 150 YGLs from 50 countries joined the YGL private A group of 52 YGLs participated in the World Economic programme in Davos ahead of the Annual Meeting. YGLs Forum on Latin America that took place in Mexico’s took part in a myriad of sessions aimed at designing fabulous Riviera Maya. The programme launched with a the YGL legacy, building a culture of generosity, and New Champion’s learning journey featuring a public-private accelerating YGL collaborations. For the first time ever, the partnership aimed at reducing the digital gap in Mexico. community experimented with a new marketplace format YGLs engaged in exciting and frank conversations with that allowed YGLs to make “offers” and “asks” to the Professor Klaus Schwab, and with Mexican President community in a live and dynamic setting.
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