Yang Han, Media Team, World Economic Forum. Tel: +86 (0)10 6599 9595, Email: vivian.yang@weforum.org
6 August 2015, Geneva, Switzerland – The World Economic Forum today announced the appointment of Managing Director David Aikman as Chief Representative for Greater China, with overall responsibility for the Forum’s activities in China, including the Annual Meeting of the New Champions (also known as the Summer Davos).
Olivier Schwab, the Forum’s former head of China, has completed his three-year term and will return to the World Economic Forum’s headquarters in Geneva, where he will be responsible for global business engagement.
World Economic Forum Founder and Executive Chairman Professor Klaus Schwab said on behalf of the Managing Board: “Over the past few years, under Olivier Schwab’s leadership, the World Economic Forum has made steady progress in China. David Aikman has extensive experience in community building and cross-cultural communication. He will continue to represent the Forum in strengthening cooperation with China and support China’s deeper participation in the global dialogue advanced by the World Economic Forum, so that we can jointly address the urgent challenges facing the world today.”
“The World Economic Forum is a unique platform and trusted partner for promoting global public-private cooperation, and we hope to continue expanding cooperation with China’s public and private sectors through this platform,” David Aikman said. “I greatly admire the achievements China has made in reform and development. I hope to help the world better understand China’s experience and take part in its development by promoting exchanges between leaders from all sectors and China, achieving greater mutual benefit.”
About David Aikman
David Aikman joined the World Economic Forum in 2003 and held leadership positions in several departments over the following 13 years. From July 2013 until this appointment, he served as a Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, overseeing the Forum’s New Champions community activities, including the Young Global Leaders, Global Shapers, social entrepreneurs, Technology Pioneers and Global Growth Companies communities. Previously, he headed the Forum’s Member Engagement department, managing senior-level relationships with the Forum’s corporate partners. He also led the Forum’s engagement with companies in the professional services sector, including global law firms, accounting firms, management consultancies and executive search firms.
Before joining the World Economic Forum, Aikman worked for seven years at the International Olympic Committee in the business development, marketing and licensing departments. A Swiss citizen, Aikman holds an MBA from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a bachelor’s degree in English and German Language and Literature from Dalhousie University in Canada, where he was also selected for the President’s Leadership Class. He also received an International Baccalaureate from Lester B. Pearson College and serves as a member of the United World Colleges Council.
About the World Economic Forum’s Beijing Representative Office
The World Economic Forum has four offices worldwide, located in Geneva, New York, Beijing and Tokyo. Established in 2006, the Beijing Representative Office currently has 21 full-time employees and is responsible for government, business and public relations, as well as the development in China of the Global Growth Companies, Global Agenda Councils, Young Global Leaders and Global Shapers communities. The office is also primarily responsible for preparing the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, a global gathering focused on innovation and technology held in China each year.
Editor’s note:
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