Saadia ZahidiSpeaker and Booking Agent Information

Saadia received the inaugural FT/McKinsey Bracken Bower Award for authors under 35 and was included in the BBC's 100 Women in 2013 and 2014. In 2018, she will publish her book Fifty Million Rising about womenomics in the Muslim world.

In the World Economic Forum, Saadia Zahidi is the practice's leader and a member of the executive committee for education, gender, and work. Her team collaborates with leaders in the industry, government, civil society, and academia to create and put into practice initiatives to address skills gaps, become ready for the workplace of the future, and promote gender equality.

The Future of Jobs Report, Global Gender Gap Report, and Human Capital Report are all products of Saadia's team, who also formed the Forum and co-authored them. In addition, she oversaw the Forum's portfolios for international organizations and civil society and worked as an economist with the Global Competitiveness Project.

She received the inaugural FT/Mckinsey Bracken Bower Award for aspiring authors under 35 and was chosen as one of the BBC's 100 Women. In the fall of 2017, she will publish her book Fifty Million Rising, which explores womenomics in the Muslim world.

She graduated from Smith College with a BA in economics, the Graduate Institute of Geneva with an MPhil in international economics, and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University with an MPA. The future of work, the effects of technology on employment, education and skill development, gender parity, and economic inequality are some of her research interests.