As the head of World Economic Forum’s Centre of New Economy and Society, Saadia Zahidi works closely with the leaders from business, government, civil society and academia to understand and shape the new economy, advance competitiveness, drive social mobility and inclusion, close skills gaps, prepare for the future of work and foster gender equality and diversity. She founded and co-authors the WEF’s Future of Jobs Report, Global Gender Gap Report and Human Capital Report.

Ms Zahidi’s book, Fifty Million Rising, charting the rise of working women in the Muslim world, was long-listed for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year 2018. She has also won several awards for her incisive work including BBC’s 100 Women list and the FT/Mckinsey Bracken Bower Prize for prospective authors under 35. She holds an MPhil in International Economics from the Graduate Institute of Geneva and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.

She has previously led the World Economic Forum's Global Programming Group, responsible for the content, design and operations of the Forum's events, including Davos as well as virtual events, and teams managing engagement with civil society and international organizations.