<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><h2 class="pane-title" style="margin: 5px 0px 6px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: url(http://www.weforum.org/sites/all/themes/wef-960/images/underlines/mini-line-grey.gif); line-height: 20px; height: 32px; font-weight: normal; overflow: hidden; background-position: 0% 26px; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat;"><span class="js-wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: url(http://www.weforum.org/sites/all/themes/wef-960/images/underlines/mini-line-grey.gif); height: 32px; display: inline-block; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); background-position: 0% 26px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><font size="3">Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman</font></span></h2><div class="pane-content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img src="http://www.weforum.org/sites/default/files/KSC.jpg" alt="Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum" width="400" height="346" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; float: right;"></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Professor Klaus Schwab is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, an independent, impartial, not-for-profit Foundation committed to improving the state of the world. Since its inception in 1971, the Forum has become the world’s foremost multistakeholder organization and has been a driver for reconciliation efforts in different parts of the world, as well as the catalyst of numerous public-private partnerships and international initiatives. See the <a href="http://www.weforum.org/history" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.5s; -webkit-transition: color 0.5s;">history</a> page for more information.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;">In 1998, Klaus Schwab and his wife Hilde created the </span><a href="http://www.schwabfound.org/sf/index.htm" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.5s; -webkit-transition: color 0.5s;">Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship</a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;">, which seeks to identify, recognize and disseminate initiatives in social entrepreneurship that have significantly improved people’s lives and have the potential to be replicated on a global scale. The Foundation supports a network of 200 social entrepreneurs around the world.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;">In 2004, Klaus Schwab established, with the financial contribution he received as part of the Dan David Prize, a new foundation: the </span><a href="http://www.weforum.org/young-global-leaders" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.5s; -webkit-transition: color 0.5s;">Forum of Young Global Leaders</a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;"> (targeted at leaders below 40 years of age); and, in 2011, he created the </span><a href="http://www.weforum.org/community/global-shapers" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.5s; -webkit-transition: color 0.5s;">Global Shapers Community</a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;"> (targeted at potential leaders between the ages of 20 and 30). The purpose of these two foundations is to integrate young people as a strong voice for the future into global decision-making processes and to stimulate young people to engage in concrete projects that address social problems.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;">Under the leadership of Klaus Schwab, the World Economic Forum also established communities providing the best expertise and knowledge for problem-solving. Among those communities is the </span><a href="http://www.weforum.org/community/global-agenda-councils" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.5s; -webkit-transition: color 0.5s;">Network of Global Agenda Councils</a><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;">, comprising more than 1,500 of the most knowledgeable and relevant experts related to over 80 global, regional and industry challenges.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;">The activities of the World Economic Forum comprise meetings that are exclusively organized for its different communities and initiatives in line with its mission of improving the state of the world. In the same context, it also conducts research and produces reports.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;">The Forum employs more than 500 people, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and additional offices in New York, Beijing and Tokyo.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;">Professor Klaus Schwab holds two doctoral degrees, one in mechanical engineering and one in economics and social sciences. He spent a year at Harvard University and went on to be the youngest professor at the University of Geneva. He has received numerous international and national honours.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;"></span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: none; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px;">Klaus and Hilde Schwab were married in 1971. He has always followed, outside his work in the above foundations, a broad range of academic, cultural and public service interests. He enjoys sports and is a regular participant of the Engadin Cross-country Ski Marathon. The Schwabs have two children and two grandchildren.</span></span></p></div><br></div></body></html>