Klaus Schwab ends 53-year reign as ‘executive chair’ of the WEF, now billed as ‘chairman of the board’ for next meeting in Dubai

World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab is slated to give the opening remarks at the WEF “Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils” in Dubai on October 16, but for the first time in 53 years, he is billed without his usual “executive chair” title.

The WEF “Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils” is a two-day meeting that doesn’t get as much attention as the flashy unelected globalist annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, but this year is significant as it marks the first time that Schwab doesn’t carry the title of “executive chair” of the WEF — position he’d held since 1971.

Earlier this year, the WEF announced that by January 2025, Schwab would be transitioning from his role as the executive chair of the organization he founded to becoming Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

That day has now come.

Now, Schwab’s official title for the upcoming meeting in Dubai is “Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, World Economic Forum.”

“By January 2025, Klaus Schwab will transition from Executive Chairman to Chairman of the Board of Trustees”

World Economic Forum, Institutional Update, May 21, 2024

On May 21, 2024, the WEF published an “Institutional Update” on its Agenda blog, stating that a “president and managing board” would “assume full executive responsibility” following Schwab’s transition, which the WEF projected to be no later than January 2025.

But according to the latest WEF Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils program, Schwab has already made that transition, thus indicating that he is no longer the executive chair.

According to the WEF Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils 2024 program, the meeting “will bring together the world’s foremost knowledge network.

“This network comprises thought leaders from academia, business, government, international organizations and civil society. More than 500 experts are represented across 30 thematic councils. They will share insights on emerging trends and scenarios relating to key global issues, while fast-tracking progress and action from decision-makers.

“This is the second in-person meeting of the 2023-2024 council term. The meeting will allow members to amplify the impact of their work on topics such as artificial intelligence, geopolitics, energy green transition, jobs and growth, and clean air.”

As reported by The Sociable in May, Klaus Schwab isn’t going anywhere; he’s simply moving from his role of executive chair to the role of chairman of the board of trustees of the World Economic Forum, which consists of some of the most powerful people on the planet.

The WEF board of trustees includes major names in business, government, and academia, and they are all listed in the images below.

“The organization has also been undergoing a planned governance evolution from a founder-managed organization to one where a President and Managing Board assume full executive responsibility”

World Economic Forum, Institutional Update, May 21, 2024

With Schwab out as the executive chair of the WEF, there has been much speculation if someone would take his place as the front-person of the organization.

Names like Tony Blair, Yuval Noah Harari, and others have been mentioned, but there has been no such official announcement from the WEF.

However, the official word is that the WEF’s executive responsibilities will be governed by a president and managing board.

The current WEF president is former Norwegian MP Børge Brende. He is also the chair of the managing board.

If Brende keeps his position as president, then he may be the new face and voice of the organization, which has been pivoting “from a convening platform to the leading global institution for public-private collaboration” for almost a decade.

However, executive decisions will not be placed on a single individual but will include a managing board as well.

The current managing board consists of seven WEF managing directors:

• Børge Brende
• Jeremy Jurgens
• Olivier M. Schwab
• Alois Zwinggi
• Mirek Dusek
• Gim Huay Neo
• Saadia Zahidi

For the upcoming “Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils,” Schwab will give the opening remarks alongside Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Ministry of Cabinet Affairs of the United Arab Emirates.

Al Gergawi was by Schwab’s side when the WEF founder announced “The Great Narrative” initiative as sequel to the “Great Reset” at the “Great Narrative Meeting” in Dubai in November, 2021.

“We are entering the Intelligent Age, an era far beyond technology alone. This is a societal revolution, one that has the power to elevate humanity — or indeed to fracture it”

Klaus Schwab, “The Intelligent Age: A time for cooperation,” September 2024

Schwab has a pattern of repeating himself and recycling phrases that he applies to different “challenges,” whether real or perceived, and he tests his ideas out at the World Government(s) Summits.

For example, last month in September 2024, Schwab announced that the theme for the WEF’s next Annual Meeting in Davos in January would be “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age” after first presenting the idea to this year’s World Governments Summit, which also is held annually in Dubai.

Schwab made a similar move in 2022 when he declared, “History is truly at turning point” at the World Government Summit.

Back when it was still called the singular World Government Summit, Schwab said on March 30, 2022:

“History is truly at a turning point. We do not yet know the full extent and the systemic and structural changes which will happen.

“However, we do know that global energy systems, food systems, and supply chains will be deeply affected,” he added.

Two months later, the WEF held its Annual Meeting in Davos under the theme “History at a Turning Point.”

Below is the current program for the WEF “Annual Meeting of the Global Futures Council,” which may be subject to changes.

As it stands, the WEF “Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils” will run from October 16-17, 2024.

The last WEF meeting, the “Sustainable Development Impact Meetings,” took place from September 23-27.

There, John Kerry made controversial remarks surrounding free speech and misinformation, stating, “Democracies around the world now are struggling with the absence of a truth arbiter” while declaring that “Our First Amendment stands as a major block to the ability to be able to just hammer [disinformation] out of existence.”

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Image Source: Klaus Schwab at the World Government Summit 2022, YouTube Screenshot