The World Economic Forum out of Davos just announced its new 2008 list of YGLs—Young Global Leaders. In a growing universe of private social networks, the YGL network has got to be one of—if not THE—most exclusive sn around. A few weeks ago, I predicted that Cameron Sinclair, who founded Architecture for Humanity would become a YGL—and he did.
YGLers can find out who fellow members of the social network are in any particular city around the world by clicking on the map site (can’t do it here, sorry). Works for regions too. Want to chat with a fellow YGLer if you’re visiting Silicon Valley, call up Marc Benioff, Shai Agassi, Sergy Brin, Gavin Newson (San Fran mayor), Jerry Yang or John Battelle. If you’re in New York City, Business News TV star Maria Bartiromo is a YGLer.
Sinclair’s on the list of some 200 new YGLers from 65 countries that include Vikram Akula, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, SKS Microfinance, India (I spent a dinner with Vikram and his outfit is helping hundreds of thousands of people—and has a portfolio of loans that’s sounder than Bear Stearns); Steffi Graf, Founder and Chairperson, ‘Children for Tomorrow’, Germany; Wadah Khanfar, Director-General, Al Jazeera Satellite Network, Qatar; Mugo Kibati, Group Chief Executive Officer, East African Cables, Kenya; Shakira Mebarak, Singer and Manager, Pies Descalzos Foundation, Colombia; and Michelle Peluso, Chief Executive Officer, Travelocity.com, USA; among others. Anderson Cooper anchor on CNN is a new YGL. So is the actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. Eric Anderson, the CEO of Space Adventures made the cut.
We have royalty on the YGL list. The Queen of Morocco, Lalla Salma and the King of Bhutan, H.R.H King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck. The global royal network is not something most of us are connected to but it is fascinating for the Queen of Jordan to bring them into the YGL social network (I’m assuming she’s the one who knows them).
