MUMBAI: Soap queen Ekta Kapoor has been named Young Global Leader 2006 by the Forum of Young Global Leaders, which is an affiliate of the World Economic Forum.
Kapoor is one of the 40 Asians chosen to become the Young Global Leaders (YGL) 2006, joining 175 leading executives, public figures and intellectuals as a part of a global community now including 410 leaders from all regions and stakeholder groups.
The 2006 class of Young Global Leaders includes over 60 business leaders, more than 30 government leaders, and dozens of scholars, media and non-governmental organisation leaders, who come from countries across the globe.
Kapoor will join the community representing 90 countries that includes Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Star Group CEO Michelle Guthrie, Georgia president Mikheli Saakashvili, Civicus: World Alliance for Citizen Participation secretary-general and CEO Kumi Naidoo and Singer Daniela Mercury.
Kapoor, who started working on production at age 19 has created more than 50 soap operas like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Hum Paanch, Kkusum on leading Indian networks.
Prior to this achievement, Kapoor was judged one of Asia’s 50 most influential communicators by Asiaweek magazine in 2001 and the first woman entrepreneur to receive the coveted ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award in India. Other awards include one for Corporate Excellence from Bharat Petroleum and the Rajiv Gandhi award.
The Young Global Leaders will meet as a community at their Annual Summit in Vancouver from 9 - 12 June 2006, when they will engage together in the 2020 Initiative. This is an endeavour to understand current and future trends, risks and opportunities at both the global and regional levels, formulate a positive vision for the world in 2020 and put forward concrete strategies to translate their vision into action.
Established in 2004 by World Economic Forum executive chairman Professor Klaus Schwab, the Forum of Young Global Leaders is a unique, multi-stakeholder community of the world’s extraordinary leaders who are 40 years old or younger and are ready to dedicate apart of their time and energy to jointly work towards a better future.
YGL gives them a platform to collaborate and shape best practices for the future of the world. 200 Young Global Leaders are selected each year for a five year membership, that will ultimately form a community of 1,111 leaders by 2009.
The 2006 class was chosen from among 3,500 candidates by the Forum of Young Global Leaders’ Nomination Committee, featuring 28 international media leaders, including Carl-Johan Bonnier of Bonnier AB in Sweden, Arthur Sulzberger, the publisher of the New York Times, Tom Glocer, chief executive of Reuters and Rui Chenggang, Director and Anchor of China Central Television in the People’s Republic of China. Her Majesty Queen Raima of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is the chairman of the committee.