About
Leadership and Governance
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Klaus Schwab Founder and Executive Chairman
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Founded the World Economic Forum in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation; has built it into the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. 1998, together with his wife Hilde, co-founded the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, supporting social innovation around the world. 2004, founded the Forum of Young Global Leaders, a multistakeholder community of young leaders (30-40 years old) who share a commitment to shaping the global future. 2011, founded the Global Shapers Community, a global network of local hubs in cities around the world bringing together young people (20-30 years old) who are exceptional in their potential, achievements and drive to make a contribution to their communities. 1971 to 2003, Professor of Business Policy, University of Geneva. Academic contributions include the first publication describing the Stakeholder Theory in 1971 and a new approach to global competitiveness in 1979. Studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, the University of Fribourg and Harvard University. Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering and Doctorate in Economics (summa cum laude). Honorary professorships and numerous honorary doctorates. Recipient of an Honorary Knighthood (KCMG) and international and national honours for initiatives undertaken in the spirit of entrepreneurship in the global public interest and for peace and reconciliation efforts.
Board of Trustees
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Mukesh D. Ambani
Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries
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Marc Benioff
Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Salesforce
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Peter Brabeck-Letmathe
Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees, World Economic Forum
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Thomas Buberl
Chief Executive Officer, AXA
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Laurence D. Fink
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock
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Chrystia Freeland
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
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Orit Gadiesh
Chairman, Bain & Company
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Kristalina Georgieva
Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
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Fabiola Gianotti
Director-General, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
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Al Gore
Vice-President of the United States (1993-2001); Chairman and Co-Founder, Generation Investment Management LLP
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Andre Hoffmann
Chairman, Massellaz
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Paula Ingabire
Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Information Communication Technology and Innovation of Rwanda
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Joe Kaeser
Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Siemens Energy
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Christine Lagarde
President, European Central Bank
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Yo-Yo Ma
Cellist,
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Patrice Motsepe
Founder and Executive Chairman, African Rainbow Minerals
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Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO)
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Lubna S. Olayan
Chair of the Executive Committee, Olayan Financing Company
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H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Office of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah
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L. Rafael Reif
President Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
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David M. Rubenstein
Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, Carlyle
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Mark Schneider
Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé
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Klaus Schwab
Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum
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Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Senior Minister, Government of Singapore
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Jim Hagemann Snabe
Chairman, Siemens
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Julie Sweet
Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Accenture
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Feike Sybesma
Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Royal Philips
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Heizo Takenaka
Professor Emeritus, Keio University
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Zhu Min
Chairman, National Institute of Financial Research
Børge Brende President
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Former: Minister, Norwegian Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry, Environment; Deputy Chairman, Norwegian Conservative Party; Member, Norwegian Parliament; Member, Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs and Deputy Chairman, Standing Committee on Energy and Environment; Chairman, UNSDC; Secretary-General, Norwegian Red Cross; International Vice-Chairman, China Council for Int'l Cooperation on Environment and Development; Board Chairman, Mesta; Board Member, Norwegian School of Economics; Managing Director, World Economic Forum. Political Adviser to Conservative Party Chairman; Chairman, Young Conservatives; CFO, KB-entrepreneur. Since 2017, President, World Economic Forum. Member: Board, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, WHO; Board, Statoil; Board, China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development Phase VII; Strategic Committee, Paris School of Int’l Affairs, Sciences Po; UN High-level Advisory Group for Every Woman Every Child; Municipal Executive Board, Trondheim; Core Advisory Council, Harvard Int’l Negotiation Program; Steering Committee, Bilderberg Meetings; Board of Directors, Partnering for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030; Board of Directors, Technology for Ocean Foundation, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Ocean. BA, Norwegian Univ. of Science and Tech. Recipient, awards, honours: Harish Mahindra Memorial Global Award for Outstanding Contributions to Economic Welfare and Sustainable Growth; Order of the Aztec Eagle, Mexico; Grand Cross, Order of San Carlos, Colombia ; Commander, Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav; Cavaliere Di Gran Croce, Italy; Grand Cross, Order of the Phoenix, Greece.
Managing Board
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Børge Brende
President, World Economic Forum
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Mirek Dušek
Managing Director, World Economic Forum
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Jeremy Jurgens
Managing Director, World Economic Forum
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Sarita Nayyar
Managing Director; Chief Operating Officer, USA, World Economic Forum
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Gim Huay Neo
Managing Director, Centre for Nature and Climate, World Economic Forum
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Olivier M. Schwab
Managing Director, World Economic Forum
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Saadia Zahidi
Managing Director, World Economic Forum
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Alois Zwinggi
Managing Director, World Economic Forum
Executive Committee
The Forum’s activities are managed by its executive leadership. Led by Founder and Executive Chairman Professor Klaus Schwab, the leadership and staff of the Forum comprise exceptional individuals from all walks of life and over 60 nationalities. This global depth and experience ensures our ability to fully support our global membership and their engagement on global issues.
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Marisol Argueta de Barillas
Head of the Regional Agenda, Latin America; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Emma Benameur
Head of Impact and Engagement; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Francisco Betti
Head, Shaping the Future of Advanced Manufacturing & Value Chains; Member, ExCom, World Economic Forum
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Shyam Bishen
Head, Shaping the Future of Health and Healthcare, Member of Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Matthew Blake
Head of Shaping the Future of Financial and Monetary Systems, World Economic Forum
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Roberto Bocca
Head of Shaping the Future of Energy and Materials; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Francois Bonnici
Director, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship; Head, Social Innovation, World Economic Forum
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Sebastian Buckup
Head of Network and Partnerships, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Liming Chen
Chair of Greater China, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum Beijing
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Sean Doherty
Head, International Trade and Investment; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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John Dutton
Head, Uplink; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Makiko Eda
Chief Representative Officer, Japan, World Economic Forum Tokyo
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Kay Firth-Butterfield
Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Malte Godbersen
Head, Technology and Digital Services; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Kristin Hughes
Director, Global Plastic Action Partnership; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Jack Hurd
Executive Director, Tropical Forest Alliance, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Zara Ingilizian
Head of Shaping the Future of Consumption; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Philippe Isler
Director, Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation; Member of the ExCom, World Economic Forum
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Ramya Krishnaswamy
Head, Institutional Communities and ESG Initiative; Member, Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Joo-Ok Lee
Head, Regional Agenda, Asia-Pacific; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Cathy Li
Head, Shaping the Future of Media, Entertainment & Sport; Member of the ExCom, World Economic Forum
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Viraj Mehta
Head, Regional Agenda, India and South Asia; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Stephan Mergenthaler
Head of Strategic Intelligence; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Jeff Merritt
Head of Urban Transformation; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Derek O'Halloran
Head, Shaping the Future of Digital Economy & New Value Creation; Member, ExCom, World Economic Forum
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Kelly Ommundsen
Chief of Staff; Head, Global Collaboration Village; Member, Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Severin Podolak
Head of Event Production; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Nicola Christine Port
Chief Legal Officer, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Alexandre Raffoul
Head, Regional Business Strategy & Growth, MENA & Africa Business; Member, ExCom, World Economic Forum
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Mel Rogers
Head of Strategic Affairs; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Stephan Ruiz
Head of Group Controlling and Finance and Operations, USA, World Economic Forum
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Georg Schmitt
Head of Digital and Marketing; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Nicole Schwab
Co-Head, Nature-Based Solutions; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Paul Smyke
Head of the Regional Agenda, North America; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Roberto Tinnirello
Head of Business Strategy and Services, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
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Yann Zopf
Head of Media, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum