The University announced on Monday the names of the 16 World Fellows for 2012. The program brings mid-career professionals from abroad to live at Yale and audit classes while receiving training specific to their careers and interacting with members of the Yale community.
“We are thrilled once again to welcome an outstanding group of World Fellows to Yale,” said Program Director Michael Cappello in a press release. “The 2012 Fellows were selected from a global pool representing thousands of innovative difference makers. We are proud to offer them this unique opportunity to develop their leadership skills while enriching the Yale community through active participation in campus life.”
This year’s class is the program’s 11th, bringing the total number of Yale World Fellows to 221, representing 79 countries. Do we have an Alexei Navalny in this year’s class? Read below to find out:
Kamal Amakrane (Morocco)
Head, Office of the United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur
Amakrane manages the world’s largest peacekeeping mission. In previous positions
with the UN, he served as Special Assistant to the UN Envoy to Myanmar and
worked toward the stabilization of Iraq. His international career began in the Office
of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Bibi Bakare-Yusuf (Nigeria)
Co-founder and Publishing Director, Cassava Republic Press
Bakare-Yusuf is the co-founder of one of the most important new publishing houses
in Africa. A feminist and independent scholar, she has worked as a consultant for
ActionAid, Unifem, and the European Union. Her life’s work is the transformation of
the African continent through production of alternative narratives and knowledge.
Amine Belaicha (Algeria)
General Manager, Numid-Invest International
Belaicha runs a Tunis-based private equity firm that provides consulting services to
foreign companies developing business opportunities in the Middle East and North
Africa. Numid-Invest also helps local small businesses find investors, raise money,
and plan their strategic development.
Ayush Chauhan (India)
Co-founder and Managing Director, Quicksand
Chauhan heads up a multi-disciplinary design and innovation consultancy working at
the intersection of business, development, and culture. He is also a Partner at the
Box Collective, where he conceptualized and launched UnBox, the first
interdisciplinary festival in Delhi bringing together leading voices from across the
world for inspiration, debate and reflection.
Paula Escobar-Chavarría (Chile)
Magazines Editor, El Mercurio
A leading journalist, Escobar-Chavarría oversees six weekly publications, writes
regular columns in magazines and newspapers, and is the author of four books. Her
next book will focus on the leadership of the Chilean presidents during the country’s
transition to democracy.2
Gabriella Gómez-Mont (Mexico)
Founder, Toxico Cultura
A cultural entrepreneur, writer, curator and documentary filmmaker, Gómez-Mont’s
current project is Toxico Cultura, an independent cultural salon, art lab, and
multidisciplinary platform dedicated to furthering creative excellence across various
mediums in Mexico City.
Martín Lousteau (Argentina)
CEO and President, LCG SA
Lousteau runs LCG SA, a macroeconomic and political consultancy firm advising
large companies, governments, and politicians. Previously, he served as Minister of
Economy and Production of Argentina, and prior to that was President of the Banco
de la Provincia de Buenos Aires.
Sisonke Msimang (South Africa)
Executive Director, Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa
Msimang works across ten southern African countries to promote human rights,
transparency, and accountability. She is responsible for defining and driving the
strategic direction of OSISA and oversees projects on education, gender and
women’s rights, HIV and AIDS, and democracy building.
Wanja Muguongo (Kenya)
Executive Director, UHAI-the East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative
Muguongo is a feminist and a firm believer in human rights and social justice. She
manages the only African activist-owned and led LGBTI and sex worker rights fund.
Her mission is to nurture grassroots activism around sexuality and rights in Africa,
creating societal transformation towards equality and non-discrimination.
Réda Oulamine (Morocco)
President and Founder, Droit et Justice
Oulamine created Droit et Justice, an NGO promoting the rule of law and human
rights in Morocco. He is also a Managing Partner at Oulamine Law Group which
specializes in business, corporate law, and legal reform consulting.
Rosalind Savage (United Kingdom)
Ocean rower and Sustainability Advocate
Savage was named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2010. She is the
only woman to have rowed solo across all the major oceans, and her mission is to
shine light on ecological challenges. In spring-summer 2012, she will row across the
North Atlantic in the run-up to the London Olympics.
Julien Steimer (France)
Deputy Chief of Staff, French Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
Steimer initiated and negotiated the Agricultural Action Plan adopted by G20 Heads
of State in 2011. He has served in the French government for over a decade in the
areas of agricultural policy reform, global food security, and EU affairs.
Patrick Struebi (Switzerland)
Founder and CEO, Fairtrasa International AG
A business and social entrepreneur, Struebi founded Fairtrasa, a company
pioneering a scalable model that links small-scale farmers in Latin America to local
and international markets.
Martin Sturgeon (United Kingdom)
Programme Manager, Ministry of Defence, Management Centre of Excellence
Lieutenant Colonel Sturgeon has served in command and staff appointments in the
Gulf, the Balkans, and Afghanistan. He currently works in the Ministry of Defence,
playing a central role in shaping British defence reform following the Strategic
Defence and Security Review.
Wen Yuanhua (China)
Deputy President, China Construction Bank, Tianjin Branch
Wen manages the International Trade Finance, e-Banking, Information Technology,
and Research and Product Development departments of the China Construction
Bank, Tianjin Branch. He is responsible for over 5,000 employees and has led
successful reform, reorganization, and restructuring efforts resulting in increased
competitiveness and market share for CCB.
Ruchi Yadav (India)
Senior Program Officer, The Hunger Project
With a background in advertising, human rights, and the women’s movement in
India, Yadav’s focus is to empower elected women representatives at the grassroots
level as key change agents in local institutions of government across seven states in
India.
