What can Mumbai slum dwellers teach us about sharing?
How might robotics help a paralysed adventurer walk again? Can ethical
investors improve the lives of factory workers? Over the past ten years, Young
Global Leaders have pooled their creativity, skills and enthusiasm to take on
some of the world’s biggest challenges. Since the World Economic Forum founded
the community of Young Global Leaders in 2005 as a way of supporting exceptional
leaders under 40, it has grown into a thriving global network and idea
incubator. As we welcome the class of 2015, Young Global Leaders have moved to
the forefront of science, business and social innovation. So what sets them
apart?
For one, a proven track record as
a leader combined with a willingness to learn. Adam Werbach, the co-founder of
giving platform Yerdle, visited a Mumbai slum. Impressed by
its sharing economy, he came up with an app that allows US users to give away
items for free. Yerdle has already helped its users save $3.5 million while
cutting down on waste and clutter.
Other Young Global Leaders stand
out for their tremendous resilience and mental strength. Mark Pollock,
who is blind and paralysed, is testing robotic legs as part of his mission to
find a cure for paralysis. He is using his personal experience of a
catastrophic spinal cord injury to ignite change around the world. Ashish Goyal
was the first blind trader at JP Morgan and now manages a hedge fund, inspiring
millions of others with his success.
For Young Global Leaders,
business is about more than the bottom line. Oliver Niedermaier, the founder
and CEO of TAU Investment, believes he can transform Asian garment factories
through ethical finance. His private equity firm aims to improve
workers’ lives and environmental conditions while delivering returns to
investors. In the creative sector, Kickstarter co-founder Yancey
Strickler has empowered innovators through crowdfunding. Since its launch in
2009, Kickstarter has supported more than 80,000 creative projects from
documentaries to public art installations, with more than 8.2 million people
pledging a total of over $1.6 billion.
Young Global Leaders continuously
question traditional ideas and challenge conventional wisdom. Michelle Dipp,
the founding CEO of OvaScience, is pioneering new fertility
treatments. Her company uses breakthrough research in egg health to empower
women while debunking harmful myths around female fertility.
On top of their individual
achievements, Young Global Leaders have tapped the power of collective action.
As a community, they have effectively used their collective expertise to
respond to environmental and humanitarian crises. Water scarcity is one such
planetary concern, with only one-third of the population expected to have
enough safe drinking water by 2025. “Thirst”, a Beijing-based Young Global Leader initiative started by Mina Guli, engages and
educates the next generation about water scarcity. “Table for Two” was founded
in reaction to another alarming statistic: in the world today, 1 billion people
are undernourished, while another 1 billion suffer from obesity. Table for Two
encourages healthy eating while raising money to fight hunger. Young
Global Leaders have also tackled regional crises, for example by providing scholarships for Syrian refugees through the Irada project.
These are just some examples of
members who are fulfilling the community’s original vision for global
collaboration and better leadership. Young Global Leaders are active in today’s
most exciting and dynamic fields, from the circular economy to digital governance.
Apart from the annual Young Global Leaders summit, the community includes
training and development programmes as well as a multitude of self-organized
events around the world. This year we will be holding the first-ever Impact Lab,
a three-day, hands-on workshop in New York designed for Young Global Leaders
looking to jumpstart new initiatives or refine existing ones. The workshop will
culminate in a pitch-competition to a panel of potential funders.
This wealth of transformative
projects is just the start. We are excited about the 187 new members joining
the Young Global Leaders community this year, shaping the network with their
own ideas and priorities. Their talent, dedication and energy will help us take
the Young Global Leaders community into the next decade.
For a full overview of the Young Global Leaders Class
of 2015 and a 10-year celebration of the Forum of Young Global Leaders, see here.
Author: John Dutton is a Director at the World
Economic Forum and Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders.
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