Mr. Shaun Adam leads the World Economic Forum’s regional and global cooperation between governments and businesses in the Asia-Pacific region to shape sustainable and inclusive development agendas with a particular focus on geopolitics and geoeconomics. In addition to his role at the Forum, he is an Adjunct Professor of Geopolitics, Asia and the Pacific at the International Institute of Geneva, and a Fellow with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), a renowned international Swiss Organisation dedicated to promoting global peace and security.
He was previously attached to the United Nations working on trade policy and managing socio-economic development projects in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Western Balkans.He also headed the trade and advocacy department for the European Union Business Chambers in the ASEAN region, actively supporting the ASEAN Economic Community’s regional integration initiatives. His earlier career saw him attached to the Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia, where he managed international programs aimed at enhancing trade, investment, and productivity for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Passionate about social innovation, Shaun’s solutions using technology to address inequalities have been exhibited at the Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo, Norway where he was also invited to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in 2017 for his work on social and digital inequalities. Shaun is also the author of the bestselling book – Acts of Resistance, Dol Said and the Naning War, which was selected as one of Malaysia’s top 50 books and exhibited at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the world’s largest book fair in 2022. The book has been translated into multiple languages and inducted in the United Nations Library and Archives Geneva’s Special Collection.
Shaun holds a Master’s in International Business and Emerging Markets from the University of Edinburgh, supported by the prestigious Hong Leong Financial Group Masters Scholarship and also a recipient of the University’s Edinburgh Award. He is also a notable finalist and recipient of the Global UK Alumni Honorary Awards.
