DUBAI, March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

On 12th March 2013, the World Economic Forum selected Vikas Pota, Chief Executive of the Varkey GEMS Foundation as a 'Young Global Leader'. This honour is bestowed each year to recognize the most distinguished leaders under the age of 40, nominated from around the world.

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Young Global Leaders (YGLs) represent the future of leadership, coming from all regions of the world and representing business, government, civil society, arts & culture, academia and media, as well as social entrepreneurs. These young leaders are proposed through a qualified nomination process and assessed according to rigorous selection criteria

Klaus Schwab, Founder & Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum said: "The Forum of Young Global Leaders provides a unique effort to engage the younger generation into the management of global affairs, working together and being integrated into the larger Forum community. The Young Global Leaders have an exceptional opportunity to improve the state of the world."

Vikas Pota, Chief Executive of the Varkey GEMS Foundation, said: "I am absolutely thrilled to have been nominated and selected to join the World Economic Forum's 'Forum of Young Global Leaders'. Our world faces huge challenges and the one I have committed to concerns supporting the capacity of teachers to become more effective in the classroom. Knowing the magnitude of this task, I hope to use this Forum to learn more about our world, and by doing so hope to inform how we achieve our aim to improve education outcomes for the most needy."

Past YGLs include Larry Page, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Google, USA; Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook; Abdulla Bin Ali Al Thani, Vice President of the Qatar Foundation; Salman Khan, Founder & Executive Director of Khan Academy; Marissa Mayer, Chief Executive Officer of Yahoo! Inc; Enrique Pena Nieto, President of Mexico; and David Cameron, Prime Minister of the UK.

Sunny Varkey, Founder Trustee of the Varkey GEMS Foundation said: "I'm delighted that Vikas has been selected to join the Forum of Young Global Leaders. The Varkey GEMS Foundation, which he leads, is engaged in fundamental work that improves the life-chances of underprivileged children by training teachers and school leaders to become better educators. This opportunity allows him to join hands with other driven and dynamic leaders who are equally committed to making a difference."

He added: "Vikas is an exceptional person who deserves this accolade. Knowing him well, this platform will serve to motivate him further in his pursuit of improving the state of our world."

About the Varkey GEMS Foundation:

The Varkey GEMS Foundation is the philanthropic arm of GEMS Education which has a global network of award-winning schools providing high quality education to 130,000 students globally. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation, established to improve the standards of education for underprivileged children around the world. Through its expertise, networks, resources and partners, the Foundations projects deliver quality education where it is needed most. It believes in the power of education as a force for positive change. The Foundations goal is that for every child at a GEMS school, 100 underprivileged children will be impacted. The aim is to support millions of children around the world. The honorary Chair of the Foundation is former US President, Bill Clinton.

For more information please contact Rana Awad: rana.awad@gemseducation.com  or +971-4-3477770 Ext 216