Murat Sönmez joins the World Economic Forum as Chief Business Officer and member of the Managing Board- With over 20 years of experience in business and industry working in Silicon Valley, he brings a deep understanding of the global business environment and extensive technology expertise
Geneva, Switzerland, 21 August 2014 – The World Economic Forum is pleased to announce that Murat Sönmez, former Executive Vice-President, Global Field Operations of TIBCO Software Inc., is joining the World Economic Forum as Chief Business Officer and member of the Managing Board.
“We are delighted to welcome Murat to the team. He brings a rare set of skills cultivated through a deep understanding of the global business environment and over 20 years of experience and a long track record of success in Silicon Valley. As the Forum enters its next stage of development, Murat’s extensive experience will be instrumental in driving the Forum’s business and technology-related capabilities, and will serve as an ideal complement to our leadership team, consisting of former government leaders and academic experts,” said Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
“I am delighted to be joining the Forum at such an exciting stage in its development, and honoured to be able to contribute to the fulfilment of its mission through my new role in developing the Forum’s business communities and supporting its Members and partnerships,” Sönmez said.
At its core, the Forum’s business community consists of the world’s foremost 1,000 global enterprises. To deepen Member engagement, the Forum has established a variety of special partnerships, each focused on a particular industry, region, global issue or community. The Forum has also created a growing community of Global Growth Companies, influential pioneers who have a track record of outperforming industry standards based on fast growth, strong global orientation and innovative business practices.
As Chief Business Officer, Sönmez’s responsibilities will be to ensure the further growth and development of all of the Forum’s business communities, focused on reinforcing geographic diversification and ensuring that the World Economic Forum remains the foremost global multistakeholder platform to shape global and regional industry agendas, serving as a trusted partner of business, government and civil society.
Sönmez joins the Forum after 20 years at TIBCO, a global leader in infrastructure and business intelligence software based in Silicon Valley. Since joining the company in 1994, he has held a variety of executive positions, most recently serving as Executive Vice-President, Global Field Operations, where he was responsible for worldwide sales, delivery and field operations. Before this, he served the respective roles of Head of Global Sales, Chief Marketing Officer, and General Manager of TIBCO’s EMEA operations.
Sönmez holds a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Bosphorus University, Istanbul, and an MSc in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Virginia Tech. He is married and has one son, who is studying electrical engineering and computer science at Duke University.
The World Economic Forum is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation in the spirit of global citizenship. It engages with business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is independent, impartial and not tied to any interests. It cooperates closely with all leading international organizations (www.weforum.org).