World Economic Forum appoints Alpha1Education CEO as Young Global Leader

The World Economic Forum (WEF) announced on Tuesday that it has officially recognised Dr. Asma Siddiki, CEO of Alpha1Education, from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as a Young Global Leader (YGL) for her professional achievements and commitment to society.

Dr. Siddiki has contributed to enhancing education in the Middle East, Europe and beyond for the past two decades, eventually founding Alpha1Education to develop opportunities for Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC), leading to her honour by WEF.

“I am honoured to be given this great opportunity for personal and professional growth and to contribute to initiatives that bring about positive change, in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and around the world,” said Dr. Siddiki.

The World Economic Forum was founded by Professor Klaus Schwab in 1971 with the commitment to improving the state of the world through engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. It founded the Forum of Young Global Leaders as a community made up of the world’s next-generation of leaders, screened each year by a selection committee chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Dr Siddiki founded Alpha1Education in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2010, with its flagship programme, Heritage Summers, a globalised summer school at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge which emphasizes the diversity of cultural, social and economic backgrounds amongst its students.

“To date, 40% of our students have been on scholarships, and another 30% are either sponsored by third parties, or have received grants from us, allowing them to be part of this unique experience,” said Dr. Siddiki. “The diversity we have maintained serves as a vehicle for better understanding between students of different backgrounds, and we strongly believe that this can be achieved only through engaging young people during the phase of their lives when they are still developing their awareness of the rest of the world.”

As the CEO of Alpha1Education, Dr Siddiki has now become a member of the prestigious YGL community with members from over 70 countries. “Bold, brave and under-40”, these individuals have dedicated their time and talent to helping make the world a better place and share a commitment to working with their peers to achieve results of genuine, global significance.

“Young Global Leaders are not just exceptional people in their own right: they are leaders that already have a track record in improving the state of the world,” said David Aikman, Managing Director and Head of the New Champions at the World Economic Forum.

“We welcome the Class of 2014 into our community and look forward to collectively engaging them to deliver change of genuine global significance.”

Dr Siddiki received her Doctorate in Cognitive Development from the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. Earlier, she gained a Master of Studies from the Centre for Linguistics and Comparative Philology at Oxford. Her alma mater is the King Abdul Aziz University of Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Prior to university, she was educated in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Siddiki is also a leading Education Management Consultant and is actively involved in advising public and private entities on the establishment and management of educational institutions. She has held leadership roles at universities in their early stages of development in the Middle East focusing extensively on student services, institutional effectiveness, organisational development and global institutional partnerships.

Dr. Siddiki is on the Committee of the Saudi British Society based in London. As a Saudi Arabian citizen, she has contributed to cross-cultural dialogue and relations, both officially and in a personal capacity throughout her career.