Young Global Leaders

Forum of Young Global Leaders, or Young Global Leaders (YGL), is a non-profit organization. The organization was created by Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum and is managed from Geneva, Switzerland, under the supervision of the Swiss government. It is run by the World Economic Forum.
The program was founded by Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum in 1992 under the name “Global Leaders for Tomorrow” and was renamed to Young Global Leaders in 2003. Schwab created the group with $1 million won from the Dan David Prize, and the inaugural 2005 class comprised 237 young leaders. Since then, a total of some 1400 individuals have been inducted into the YGL community.
BusinessWeek's Bruce Nussbaum describes the Young Global Leaders as "the most exclusive private social network in the world" and "perhaps the paramount networking network in the globe", while the organization bills the group of selected leaders as representing "the voice for the future and the hopes of the next generation". It has elsewhere also been described as a grouping that is "leading the charge in nurturing a special community of leaders committed to addressing the world's most urgent challenges."
Skeptics suggest that the grouping is "instrumental in shaping policy around the world, undermining democratic principles, and creating obedient and compliant servants" In dispelling such conspiracy theories of the influence of the organisation, Michelle Rempel, a Canadian Conservative politician who found out she had been selected as a Young Global Leader in 2016 with an email that she initially had assumed was spam, noted that the 2017 meeting was "no different in feel from an academic conference, if a bit more global in nature and with more high-profile politicians and CEOs in attendance." One academic, having studied the grouping, pointed out that while such social networks provides "privileged access to a network of elites" and represents "a concentration of cultural and social as well as symbolic capital", it would be simplistic to conclude that membership would "deterministically imply that the actors will obey its values." Another has suggested that the platform effectively selects already prominent and influential individuals, noting that "Young Global Leaders are not “put in power” like many believe. You cannot become a YGL unless you are already in a powerful position."
Representing 70 nations, Young Global Leaders are nominated by alumni to serve six-year terms and are subject to veto during the selection process. Candidates must be younger than 38 when accepted (so active YGLs are 44 and younger), and highly accomplished in their fields. There have been many hundreds of honorees, including several popular celebrities, alongside recognized high achievers and innovators in politics, business, academia, media, and the arts. The group presently comprises some 1400 individuals, many of whom head numerous governments and Fortune 500 companies, have won Nobel Peace Prizes and Grammy Awards, and are UN Goodwill Ambassadors.
The selection process includes a screening without the candidate's knowledge and, at least for the class of 2024, "nominated candidates may be invited to submit a brief application" and "shortlisted candidates may be asked to meet with a member of the YGL Community". Therefore, some nominee's may not be aware they were nominated unless they are selected, and only when they are selected. Roughly 100 YGL are selected every year. The selection criteria are strict, requiring that individuals at start-ups be founders, chief executive officers or chairs of boards (especially of series C start-ups and unicorns), individuals in the public sector be ministers, parliament members, mayors of capital cities or highly populated cities, governors, or heads of political parties and for civil society leaders to be founders and chief executive officers of consequential civil society organizations or social enterprises, or hold a senior leadership role in a large global NGO. These individuals cannot apply to join but instead are identified and proposed through a qualified nomination process, which is then vetted by Heidrick and Struggles, and subsequently vetted by a selection committee chaired by Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan.
Young Global Leaders straddle various fields, and are often highly accomplished leaders in their respective fields, including leading politicians, royalty, very senior members of Government, social activists and those in the business and finance world. As of 2022, the eight most prominent countries for Young Global Leaders are China, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the USA, with these being the only countries globally who have more than 30 Young Global Leaders.
Some prominent individuals who have been elected as Young Global Leaders include the following: