- 214 young leaders from 66 countries honored for leadership and service to society; 109 are women
- Half of the YGL Class of 2014 comes from the private sector and half from the public sector
- About Young Global Leaders - http://wef.ch/yglvideo14
CHICAGO, March 25, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the first time, women make up more than half of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders. Heidrick & Struggles (Nasdaq:HSII), the premier provider of Executive Search and Leadership Consulting services worldwide, has partnered with the World Economic Forum for the seventh consecutive year to assess the global nominees for the Young Global Leaders for 2014.
Each year thousands of talented individuals are identified from every part of the world. Heidrick & Struggles leverages its global talent expertise to help the World Economic Forum evaluate individuals against the specific criteria that it has set out to shape this international community of young global leaders.
"The future of our world depends on exceptional leadership. Each year Heidrick & Struggles works with the World Economic Forum to conduct a rigorous selection and vetting process to identify the brightest global leaders," said Heidrick & Struggles CEO Tracy Wolstencroft.
This year, 214 Young Global Leaders were tapped from 66 countries, representing the best of today's leaders under the age of 40. These dynamic leaders come from all sectors of commerce as well as non-profit organizations. East Asia logged the greatest contribution to this year's line-up with 23% of the honorees hailing from, or working in the region.
The YGL Class of 2014 includes individuals from East Asia (49), Europe (46), Latin America (17), the Middle East and North Africa (18) and North America (49) from South Asia (17) and from sub-Saharan Africa (19).
All nominations are independently evaluated by Heidrick & Struggles and a selection committee headed by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In order to assess the nominees, Heidrick & Struggles selected team leaders from within its organization to be responsible for the specific regions.
In total, more than 50 consultants and associates globally were involved in the review. Candidates are selected based on their proven track record of professional accomplishments, breadth of their expertise, commitment to society and their ability to overcome adversity, among other criteria.
About Young Global Leaders
The Forum of Young Global Leaders has three objectives:
- To transform the next generation of leaders: through personal experiences that exchange knowledge, build better understanding and define the major global challenges.
- To build a global community of peers: by engaging Young Global Leaders into networks and processes that search for forward-looking and innovative solutions for humankind.
- To positively impact global challenges: by engaging Young Global Leaders in collaborative actions that leverage individual contributions in to collective action and taskforces. For a full 2014 list of YGLs honored, click here.
About Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc.
Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (Nasdaq:HSII) is the premier provider of senior-level Executive Search, Culture Shaping and Leadership Consulting services. For 60 years, we have focused on quality service and built strong leadership teams through our relationships with clients and individuals worldwide. Today, Heidrick & Struggles' leadership experts operate from principal business centers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information about Heidrick & Struggles, please visit www.heidrick.com.
About The Forum of Young Global Leaders
Established by Professor Klaus Schwab in 2004, the Forum of Young Global Leaders is a unique, multistakeholder community of more than 900 exceptional young leaders. Bold, brave, action-oriented and entrepreneurial, these individuals commit both their time and talent to make the world a better place. Every year, the Forum honours about 200 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a foundation in 1971 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. www.weforum.org