- Jim Yong Kim and Marc R. Benioff join the World Economic Forum Board of Trustees
- The Board of Trustees serves as the guardian of the World Economic Forum’s mission and values
- For more information about the World Economic Forum, see www.weforum.org
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 23 January 2016 – The Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum yesterday elected Jim Yong Kim, President, The World Bank, Washington DC; and Marc R. Benioff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Salesforce, USA, as its new members.
In accordance with the World Economic Forum’s status as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation, as recognized by the Swiss Federal Council in January 2015, the Forum updated its governing body from Foundation Board to Board of Trustees in August. The Board of Trustees is set up to support the Forum’s mandate to serve as a representative group of key global stakeholders.
Jim Yong Kim brings two decades of experience in international development to the Foundation Board. Under his presidency, the World Bank adopted in 2012 two goals: ending extreme poverty by 2030; and boosting shared prosperity for the bottom 40% of the population in developing countries. He also possesses vast experience in healthcare, having led the World Health Organization’s HIV/AIDS department between 2003 and 2005, during which time WHO introduced the “3 by 5” initiative, the first-ever global goal for AIDS treatment.
Marc R. Benioff is a 35-year veteran of the software industry. Having co-founded Salesforce.com in February 1999, he has served as its chief executive officer since November 2001. Alongside his business career, he is well known for his philanthropic work, as well as for taking a crusading stand in favour of LGBT rights and other important issues.
“The Board of Trustees reflects the multistakeholder concept on which the World Economic Forum is built and which is fundamental to our role as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. In playing an active role in setting the strategic framework for the Forum, the board acts as a guardian of our independence and impartiality,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
As of 22 January 2016, the Members of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum are:
Klaus SCHWAB* Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Patrick AEBISCHER President, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, Switzerland
H.M. Queen Rania AL ABDULLAH of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Mukesh AMBANI Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries, India
Marc R. BENIOFF Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Salesforce, USA
Peter BRABECK-LETMATHE* Chairman of the Board, Nestlé, Switzerland
Mark CARNEY Chairman, Financial Stability Board; Governor of the Bank of England
Katherine GARRETT-COX, CBE* Chief Executive Officer, Alliance Trust Plc, United Kingdom
Orit GADIESH** Chairman, Bain & Company, USA
Al GORE Vice-President of the United States (1993-2001); Chairman and Co-Founder, Generation Investment Management, USA
Herman GREF Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Sberbank, Russian Federation
Angel GURRÍA Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Paris
Susan HOCKFIELD President Emerita and Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
Jim Yong KIM President, The World Bank, Washington DC
Klaus KLEINFELD** Chairman and Chief Executive, Alcoa Inc., USA
Christine LAGARDE Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, Washington DC
Jack MA Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group, People’s Republic of China
Peter MAURER President, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Switzerland
Luis MORENO President, Inter-American Development Bank, Washington DC
Indra NOOYI* Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo, USA
Joe SCHOENDORF Venture Partner, Accel Partners, USA
Jim Hagemann SNABE Member of the Board, SAP AG, Siemens AG, Allianz SE, Germany
Heizo TAKENAKA** Director, Global Security Research Institute, Keio University, Japan; Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy of Japan (2002-2006)
George YEO Chancellor, Nalanda University; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore (2004-2011)
Min ZHU Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, Washington DC
*Member of the Governance Board
**Member of the Audit & Risk Committee