About

Leadership and Governance

Klaus Schwab Founder, Executive Chairman

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

Mukesh D. Ambani

Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries

Marc Benioff

Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Salesforce

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe

Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees, World Economic Forum

Thomas Buberl

Chief Executive Officer, AXA

Laurence D. Fink

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock

Chrystia Freeland

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada

Orit Gadiesh

Chairman, Bain & Company

Kristalina Georgieva

Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Fabiola Gianotti

Director-General, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

Al Gore

Vice-President of the United States (1993-2001); Chairman and Co-Founder, Generation Investment Management LLP

Andre Hoffmann

Chairman, Massellaz

Paula Ingabire

Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Information Communication Technology and Innovation of Rwanda

Joe Kaeser

Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Siemens Energy

Christine Lagarde

President, European Central Bank

Yo-Yo Ma

Cellist,

Patrice Motsepe

Founder and Executive Chairman, African Rainbow Minerals

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO)

Lubna S. Olayan

Chair of the Executive Committee, Olayan Financing Company

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

David M. Rubenstein

Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, Carlyle

Mark Schneider

Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé

Klaus Schwab

Founder, Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Senior Minister, Government of Singapore

Jim Hagemann Snabe

Chairman, Siemens

Julie Sweet

Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Accenture

Feike Sybesma

Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Royal Philips

Heizo Takenaka

Professor Emeritus, Keio University

Zhu Min

Chairman, National Institute of Financial Research

Børge Brende President

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

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.

Marisol Argueta de Barillas

Head of the Regional Agenda, Latin America; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Francisco Betti

Head, Global Industries Team; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Shyam Bishen

Head of Centre for Health and Healthcare, Member of Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Matthew Blake

Head of Shaping the Future of Financial and Monetary Systems, World Economic Forum

Roberto Bocca

Head of Energy and Materials, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Francois Bonnici

Director, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship; Head of Foundations, World Economic Forum

Sebastian Buckup

Head of Network and Partnerships, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Liming Chen

Chair of Greater China, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum Beijing

Sean Doherty

Head, International Trade and Investment; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

John Dutton

Head, Uplink; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Makiko Eda

Chief Representative Officer, Japan, World Economic Forum Tokyo

Kay Firth-Butterfield

Executive Director, Centre for Trustworthy Technology

Malte Godbersen

Head, Technology and Digital Services; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Pedro Gomez

Head, Climate; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Kristin Hughes

Director, Global Plastic Action Partnership; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Jack Hurd

Executive Director, Tropical Forest Alliance, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Zara Ingilizian

Head, Consumer Industries; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Philippe Isler

Director, Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation; Member of the ExCom, World Economic Forum

Ramya Krishnaswamy

Head, Institutional Communities and ESG Initiative; Member, Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Joo-Ok Lee

Head, Regional Agenda, Asia-Pacific; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Cathy Li

Head, Shaping the Future of Media, Entertainment & Sport; Member of the ExCom, World Economic Forum

Viraj Mehta

Head, Regional Agenda, India and South Asia; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Stephan Mergenthaler

Head of Strategic Intelligence; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Jeff Merritt

Head of Urban Transformation; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Derek O'Halloran

Head, Shaping the Future of Digital Economy & New Value Creation; Member, ExCom, World Economic Forum

Kelly Ommundsen

Chief of Staff; Head, Global Collaboration Village; Member, Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Severin Podolak

Head of Event Production; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Nicola Christine Port

Chief Legal Officer, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Alexandre Raffoul

Member of the Executive Committee, Head of Regional Business Strategy & Growth, World Economic Forum

Mel Rogers

Head of Strategic Affairs; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Stephan Ruiz

Head of Group Controlling and Finance and Operations, USA, World Economic Forum

Georg Schmitt

Head of Digital and Marketing; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Nicole Schwab

Co-Head, Nature-Based Solutions; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Paul Smyke

Head of the Regional Agenda, North America; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Roberto Tinnirello

Head of Business Strategy and Services, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Yann Zopf

Head of Media, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

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