The World Economic Forum names its Young Global Leaders Class of 2026. 117 under-40 leaders from 55 countries redefining influence, innovation, and impact.
There has never been a more consequential time to lead. Across industries and borders, the decisions being made today on technology, climate, governance, and growth will shape the next several decades. The World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders Class of 2026 is made up of the people already making those decisions.
117 individuals. Under 40. From nearly 55 countries. Spanning public service, science, business, civil society, and culture. Together, they represent not just professional achievement, but a new standard for what leadership can look like: globally minded, cross-sector, and built for complexity.
The Class of 2026 is as diverse as the challenges it is equipped to address. It includes Tomas Okmanas, Co-Founder and CEO of Nord Security; Dominican-American Olympic gold medallist Thea LaFond; Jennifer Zhang, Co-Founder and CEO of WIZ.AI in Singapore; and Professor Sally Nuamah of Northwestern University, alongside ministers, technologists, investors, artists, and social entrepreneurs from every region of the world.
What unites them is not a single background or discipline, but a shared capacity to lead with both ambition and accountability to see further, act more deliberately, and build more inclusively than those who came before.
“The most effective leaders today are those who combine vision with responsibility, innovation with prosperity, and success with service.” says Ida Jeng Christensen, Head of the Forum of Young Global Leaders
The community behind the class
The Young Global Leaders Foundation has been cultivating this kind of leadership since 2004. Founded by the World Economic Forum, it operates as a global platform for strategic minds ready to take on the world’s most pressing problems. Its community of over 1,400 members and alumni from more than 120 countries includes former heads of state, Nobel laureates, Fortune 500 CEOs, and cultural icons.
New members enter a rigorous three-year programme of executive education, immersive global experiences, and deep peer exchange, emerging not just more capable, but more connected to a network that is actively working to move the world forward.
Discover all 117 members of the Class of 2026 here
