Expert Profile

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. He was previously attached to the United Nations working on trade policy and socio-economic development in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. He formerly headed the trade and advocacy department of the European Union Business Chambers in the ASEAN region in addition to supporting the work of the ASEAN Economic Community towards regional integration. Prior to that, he was attached to the Malaysian Government Prime Minister Office where he managed international programmes to boost trade, investment, and productivity of 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 where he was also invited to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo in 2017 representing ASEAN as an advocate against social and digital inequalities. Shaun is also the author of the bestselling book – Acts of Resistance, Dol Said and the Naning War. The book was selected as one of the Best 50 Books from Malaysia and showcased at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the World Largest Book Fair in Germany. The Book was also acquired by the UN Library and Archives Geneva Special Collection in 2021 and has been translated into several languages. Shaun holds a Master’s in International Business and Emerging Markets from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom which he obtained as a recipient of the Hong Leong Financial Group Masters Scholarship. Additionally, Shaun is also one of the notable finalist and recipient of the Global UK Alumni Honorary Awards. Shaun is also an Executive-in-residence Fellow with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP).