Cairo-based Wuzzuf’s founder Ameer Sherif selected as a Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum

Ameer Sherif, the founder and CEO of Cairo-based BasharSoft, the company behind Egypt’s two leading recruitment portals Wuzzuf and Forasna, has been selected as a Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum. He is part of Class of 2019 of the five-year program that selects 100-150 individuals every year on the basis of their professional accomplishments and potential to influence the future.

The 2019 cohort was revealed last week with 127 people from different regions and backgrounds. Ameer happens to be the only one from MENA’s startup ecosystem to have made it to the Class of 2019 that includes 12 people in total from the region.

Being a YGL, he will participate in executive courses at top institutions to gain fresh insights and practical training in different areas and interact and collaborate with other YGLs and business leaders at summits, workshops and field expeditions.

“Each new class embarks on a five-year leadership journey that mobilizes their collective talents and accelerates action aimed at tackling societal, political and environmental challenges,” the organization explains on its website.

Ameer had founded BasharSoft in 2009, two years after completing his MS in Computer Engineering from Cairo University. In these nine years, BasharSoft’s Wuzzuf and Forasna have helped over 20,000 companies hire more than 250,000 people.

“Being selected for this very prestigious program by the WEF, should be used as an inspiration for youth in our region – especially those in tech and social entrepreneurship in our region,” said Ameer, in a conversation with MENAbytes. “It’s a validation that efforts of using technology to solve societal challenges is highly viewed and appreciated, not just by local people and entities who are directly affected, but also from global entities like the WEF.”

The previous cohorts of the program have featured distinguished business and government leaders, social entrepreneurs, recipients of Nobel Prizes and Academy Awards. Some of the biggest names that have been recognized in the previous years include Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ashton Kutcher, Peter Theil, Jimmy Wales, and Jack Ma.

“In the case of my efforts with Wuzzuf and Forasna specifically in Egypt, we’re using technology to solve employment challenges and also moving towards education for employment as well – to hopefully bridge the ever-widening skill gaps, not just in Egypt but all across emerging markets in MENA and beyond,” he added.

The leaders from Middle East & North Africa’s startup scene that have been part of previous cohorts include Rocket Internet’s Eyad Alkaassar, Glowork’s Khalid Alkhudai, Silicon Badia’s Emile Cubeisy, and Cerscent Enterprises Badr Jafar.