JEDDAH, 17 January 2007 — Muna Abu Sulayman, executive manager of Strategic Studies and Research Initiatives at Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding Company, prominent Lebanese politician Saad Hariri and Aishwarya Rai, one of Bollywood’s leading actresses, are among the 250 Young Global Leaders chosen by the World Economic Forum for 2007. Riyadh-based Muna Abu Sulayman is the only Saudi to gain a place on this year’s list which was released yesterday by the Geneva-based WEF.
The Young Global Leaders were chosen from over 4,000 candidates by a selection committee of 34 international media leaders including Marjorie Scardino (Pearson), Arthur Sulzberger (The New York Times), Tom Glocer (Reuters) and Hisashi Hieda (Fuji Television Network). The committee was chaired by Jordan’s Queen Rania.
The honor of being selected as a Young Global Leader is bestowed each year by the WEF on young leaders from around the world in recognition and acknowledgment of their professional accomplishments, their commitments to society and their potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.
“Of course, it is a great honor,” a delighted Muna Abu Sulayman told Arab News last night. She said she would use the opportunity to network with other young leaders in a bid to improve the image of Muslims and Saudi Arabia. “I will try to establish contacts with other institutions and individuals in order to advance the good of Islam,” she added.
A lecturer in English literature at Riyadh’s King Saud University and a United Nations Development Program Goodwill Ambassador, Muna Abu Sulayman has always focused on increasing understanding between Islam and the West by establishing academic centers and programs, both in the Middle East and in the United States. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from George Mason University and is currently completing her Ph.D. in Arab-American Literature.
According to WEF Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab, confronting and tackling global challenges will require fresh, strategic thinking from global leaders, as well as innovative and truly international solutions based on global collaboration. “This is why I created the Forum of Young Global Leaders — to be a voice for the future in global thought processes,” he said.
Established in 2004, the Forum of Young Global Leaders is a unique community of the world’s most extraordinary young leaders who dedicate part of their time to addressing global challenges and who are committed to devoting their knowledge and energy to collectively working to improve the world.
Among the Saudis selected as Young Global Leaders in previous years were Investment Enterprises Chairman Prince Bandar Ibn Khalid Al-Faisal (2005), Al-Faisaliah Group Holding President Prince Mohammed K.A. Al-Faisal (2005) and internationally-recognized poet Nimah Ismail Nawwab (2006).
Two prominent faces from Pakistan — Salman Iqbal, CEO of ARY television network, and Omar Ayub Khan, minister of state for finance — have also been selected this year as Young Global Leaders.
Iqbal’s ARY Digital is a popular Pakistani television network beaming out of Karachi, Dubai and London. The majority of its programs are geared to meeting the needs of South Asians, especially Pakistanis; it is considered a pioneer in Pakistani media and broadcasting.
Omar Ayub Khan, elected to the Pakistan National Assembly, is credited with turning the economy of his country around due to significant real domestic product growth. His father, Gohar Ayub Khan, is a former foreign minister and his grandfather, Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan, was president of Pakistan from 1958-1969.
Besides actress Aishwarya Rai, those selected from India include Omar Abdullah, son of former chief minister of Indian Kashmir Farooq Abdullah; Vikram Chandra, managing editor and CEO of NDTV; Karan Johar, popular film director and producer; and politician Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Omar Abdullah became one of the youngest members of the Indian Parliament when he won the election in 1998 and served in the Ministries of Transport and Tourism. Re-elected in 1999, he was made a junior minister in charge of commerce and industry in the Union Cabinet and then a minister in the Foreign Ministry.
Jyotiraditya Scindia is one of the youngest members of the Indian Parliament. Previously, he worked as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. He studied Managerial Skills at Harvard and Stanford.
Vikram Chandra of NDTV is known for his objective and high-quality reporting. He holds a B.A. in Economics from St. Stephens College, Delhi University, and an M.A. in Politics and Economics from Oxford University. He was the first Indian television journalist to interview Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah last year.
Perhaps one of the most recognized faces in the list is that of Aishwarya Rai. One of Bollywood’s best-known leading ladies, appearing in dozens of Bollywood films and on magazine covers around the world, she has been in the news recently because of her engagement to Abhishek Bachchan, the son of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan. In 2002, Aishwarya worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in “Devdas,” the most ambitious and successful film in Bollywood history. It became the first Bollywood picture to receive a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival and broke box-office records in India and the US.
Aishwarya was on Rolling Stone Magazine’s annual Hot List and was one of Hello magazine’s Most Attractive Women in the World. She has been featured in numerous magazines including Stuff, FHM, Variety, GQ, New York Times, Harper’s & Queen and others.
Anousheh Ansari of Iran is also on this year’s list. She is the co-founder and chairwoman of Prodea Systems Inc. Prodea Systems, a unique venture capital firm based in Richardson, Texas, helps visionary entrepreneurs build companies by offering strategic, operational, technical and financial assistance. Anousheh made international headlines as the first female private space explorer, blasting off for an eight-day mission aboard the International Space Station in September last year.
From Afghanistan, Shukria Barakzai has been selected a Young Global Leader. She is the founder and editor of Aina-e-Zan newspaper and also a member of the Afghan Parliament. She helped draft the country’s constitution. She was named Worldpress.org’s 2004 International Editor of the Year. The award is presented each year to an editor or editors outside the United States in recognition of enterprise, courage, and leadership in advancing the freedom and responsibility of the press, enhancing human rights and fostering excellence in journalism.
From Egypt, Jehane Noujaim was selected. She is a cinematographer, executive producer, editor and director. Her documentary “Control Room,” about Arab journalists covering the invasion of Iraq, has received rave reviews from critics for capturing the complexity of American-Arab relations and the different perspectives from which the two cultures see the same events. Jehane graduated in Visual Arts and Philosophy from Harvard University.
Also included on the list this year is one of Britain’s most talented young writers, Zadie Smith. Her acclaimed first novel, “White Teeth,” is a portrait of contemporary multicultural London told by three ethnically diverse families.
“White Teeth” has been translated into more than 20 languages and won a number of awards and prizes, including the Guardian First Book Award, the Whitbread First Novel Award, and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. In 2003, she was nominated by Granta magazine as one of the 20 Best of Young British Novelists and was included on Granta’s list of 20 best young authors.
