David Aikman has held a number of leadership positions since joining the Forum in 2003. Since July 2013, he has been a Managing Director of the World Economic Forum and the Head of the New Champion communities, which includes the Young Global Leaders, Global Shapers, Social Entrepreneurs, Technology Pioneers and Global Growth Companies. He has also been Head of Partnerships, responsible for the Forum’s highest-level relationships with corporate partners, and Head of the Professional Services Industry, comprised of law firms, accounting firms, management consultancies and executive search firms.

Prior to the Forum, Aikman worked at the International Olympic Committee in business development, marketing and licensing for seven years. He is a Swiss citizen, and he holds an MBA from IMD (Switzerland) and a BA (with honours) in English and German Literature from Dalhousie University (Canada), where he was a member of the President’s Leadership Class. Aikman earned his International Baccalaureate at Lester B. Pearson UWC of the Pacific and now serves as a Council Member of the United World Colleges.

Olivier Schwab, MSc in Civil Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1999-2001, as Business Development Manager, Industry to Industry, San Francisco, an online business marketplace. 2003, Co-Founder, Club Airways, a pan-European airline charter service based in Geneva. 2002-03, consulting projects, Mercer Management Consultants. 2003-09, with Schindler Group, first as Assistant to the President, then as Manager, Logistics and Supply Chain for the company’s high-end product lines for the Asian market. With the World Economic Forum: 2010-11, led the Technology Pioneers Programme, Geneva;2011-2015, Executive Director, China, responsible for the development in the Greater China Region, based in Beijing; oversaw the development of relationships with leading Chinese businesses, government entities, and academic institutions; since Sept. 2015, Head of Business Engagement; leads the relationships with the Forum’s 1,000 business members and partners; responsibilities include ensuring that the Forum’s Partners are actively engaged in its various events and initiatives, and integrating them in the Forum’s various communities; also oversees the Technology Pioneers Programme aimed at young start-ups globally, and the Family Business Community.

About the World Economic Forum Beijing Representative Office

The World Economic Forum Beijing Representative Office was established in 2008 to provide an emerging market-based centre for Forum activities, in addition to offices in Geneva, New York and Tokyo. The China office has 21 full-time staff members and supports the Forum’s work across all areas, particularly government, business and public relations in China, as well as engagement with its Chinese communities of Global Growth Companies, Young Global Leaders, Global Shapers and Global Agenda Councils. The office is also responsible for leading coordination of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions, a global gathering held in China that focuses on innovation, particularly in science and technology.