Leadership and Governance | World Economic Forum

Leadership and Governance

The Forum strives to model world-class corporate governance, where values are as important as rules. Legitimacy, accountability, transparency and concerted action are the guiding principles of the Forum.

The Forum is chaired by Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Professor Klaus Schwab. It's guided by a Board of Trustees, exceptional individuals who act as guardians of its mission and values, and oversee the Forum’s work in promoting true global citizenship.

The Managing Board, chaired by the Forum's President, Børge Brende, acts as the executive body of the World Economic Forum. It ensures that activities fulfill the mission of the Forum and acts as its representative to outside parties. It has a collective executive responsibility for the Forum and reports to the Board of Trustees.

The Forum’s activities are managed by its executive leadership composed of individuals from all walks of life from over 60 nationalities. This global depth and experience ensures our ability to fully support our global partnership and their engagement on global issues.

Klaus Schwab

Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Klaus Schwab holds a Doctorate in Engineering and a Doctorate in Economics and Social Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute Zurich and the University of Fribourg and an MPA from Harvard University. Formerly managed the restructuring of a leading Swiss machine building group and was Professor of Business Policy in Geneva until 2003. Author of Modern Management (1970), conceptualizing stakeholder capitalism, and The Fourth Industrial Revolution (2017). 1971, created and became the Chairman of the World Economic Forum, to build a platform where business leaders can meet, interact and collaborate with stakeholders from government and society. Built it from a simple idea into an international organization and a leading global platform for public-private cooperation. Has held multiple board memberships and international advisory positions. Together with his wife Hilde, created the Schwab Foundation in 1998 to promote social entrepreneurship and innovation. Recipient of international awards, national distinctions, honorary professorships and doctorates for thought leadership and for the Forum’s achievements in enhancing global cooperation and several political reconciliation efforts. Has 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Hobbies include sports and culture.

More about Klaus Schwab

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees comprises outstanding leaders from business, politics, academia and civil society. In their work on the Board, members do not represent any personal or professional interests. To reflect the Board's multistakeholder status, its membership is divided equally between representatives of the business community and leaders from international organizations and civil society.

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

Mukesh D. Ambani

Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries

Ajay S. Banga

President, World Bank Group

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, Olayan Group

David M. Rubenstein

Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, Carlyle

Klaus Schwab

Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, World Economic Forum

Tharman Shanmugaratnam

President of Singapore, Office of the President 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

Vice-Chairman, China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE)

Børge Brende

President and CEO

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, UN Commission on Sustainable Development; 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 and Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, WHO; Board Director, Technology for Ocean Foundation, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Ocean; Managing Director, World Economic Forum. Political Adviser to Conservative Party Chairman; Chairman, Young Conservatives; CFO, KB Entreprenør. Since 2017, President, World Economic Forum. Director, Philanthropy Asia Alliance. Member: 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. 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.

Executive Committee

The Forum’s activities are managed by its executive leadership composed of individuals from all walks of life from over 30 nationalities. This global depth and experience ensures our ability to fully support our global partnership and their engagement on global issues.

Kiva Allgood

Head, Centre for Advanced Manufacturing & Supply Chains, Member, Exec. Committee, World Economic Forum

Nicki Allitt

Head of Strategic Communications & Coordination; Member, Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

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

Matthew Blake

Head of Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems; Executive Committee Member, World Economic Forum

Roberto Bocca

Head, Centre for 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

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

Rhiannon Evans

Chief Financial Officer; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

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

Fernando J. Gómez

Head, Resource Systems and Resilience; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Sriram Gutta

Head, Engagement and Operations; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Chieh Huang

President, Global Collaboration Village, 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

Fujiyo Ishiguro

Chair of Japan and Chief Representative Officer, World Economic Forum

Philippe Isler

Director, Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation; Executive Committee Member, World Economic Forum

Ramya Krishnaswamy

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

Joo-Ok Lee

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

Cathy Li

Head, AI, Data and Metaverse; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Uxio Malvido

Head of People & Culture, Chief HR Officer, 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 Centre for Urban Transformation; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Kelly Ommundsen

Head, Digital Inclusion, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum

Severin Podolak

Head, Event Management & Operations; 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, World Economic Forum

Mel Rogers

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

Nicole Schwab

Co-Head, Nature Positive Pillar; 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, Business Strategy and Partner 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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