Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia and Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary Nguyen Hoang Long (R).— Photo cafef

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia and Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary Nguyen Hoang Long have been selected by the World Economic Forum (WEC) as 2014 young global leaders (YGLs).

Every year WEC acknowledges the most distinguished leaders under the age of 40 who are nominated from around the globe. This year, 214 exceptional young individuals have been recognized for their achievements and contribution to society.

Nghia, founder of the Vo Trong Nghia Company Ltd, is famous nationwide and internationally for his eco-friendly buildings.

His firm has won numerous international prizes, including two golden prizes from the Asian Architecture Association and five American International Architecture Awards. World Architecture News named his firm Vo Trong Nghia Architects as one of the top 21 architectural firms of the 21st century for its innovations with bamboo.

Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long, born in 1976, is seen as Viet Nam's youngest ambassador who has made great contribution to developing the relationship between Viet Nam and Italy.

Last year, PACE Institute of Management chairman Gian Tu Trung and General Director of Vingroup, were the two Vietnamese people named in the list.

WEC's young global leaders come from diverse backgrounds and bring a range of expertise to the community from across the world. Over 50 per cent of the new leaders are women, half from the private sector and half from the public sector. These sectors include academia, arts and culture, civil society, government, media and not-for-profit organizations.

"The YGL Community assembles the world's most outstanding next-generation leaders, who have a proven record of extraordinary achievements, and helps them develop further in their leadership journey," said David Aikman, Managing Director and Head of New Champions at WEC.

"The community provides its members with a peer network that challenges them to not only do more, but to be more. Being part of the YGL community is a transformational experience, where leaders turn their personal success into global significance and positive impact in their countries, industries and areas of expertise," he said.

The YGL Class of 2014 includes 49 individuals from East Asia, 46 from Europe, 17 from Latin America, 18 from the Middle East and North Africa, 48 from North America, 17 from South Asia and 19 from sub-Saharan Africa.

The YGL Class of 2014 was drawn from a pool of over 2,000 candidates who were evaluated by Heidrick & Struggles and screened by a selection committee chaired by H M Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Candidates were evaluated according to specific criteria, including their proven track record and commitment to society.

The YGL Community has more than 900 active members, representing every region of the world. The YGLs convene at an annual summit, and this year it will be held in Beijing and Tianjin, the People's Republic of China, in September. — VNS