Alice Charles

Alice Charles is the Lead for all Urban Development work at the World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland. This includes managing the Forum's Future of Urban Development and Services Initiative, its Steering and Advisory Board, the past Global Agenda Council on the Future of Cities and current Global Future Council on Cities and Urbanization, the production of all city and urban development related content and urban development events at World Economic Forum Summits (including Davos). In addition, she is responsible for managing and developing the world's premier community of infrastructure and urban development business leaders (includes CEOs from the Real Estate, Engineering Construction and Urban Services sectors), which through engagement with government, regulatory and civil society leaders advances the critical issues facing the industry on the global, regional and industry agendas. She has fifteen years’ experience working in the areas of urban development, town planning, real estate, infrastructure, environment, climate change and public policy globally. She previously worked for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Ireland, Dail Eireann (Irish Parliament), Ireland, Jacobs Engineering (formerly SKM Colin Buchanan) and Bilfinger GVA, London, UK. She has a Master’s in Business Administration from University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, a Postgraduate Diploma in Town and Country Planning from Queens University Belfast and a 1st Class Honours Degree in Environmental Planning from Queen’s University Belfast. She is a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and a Member of the Irish Planning Institute. She is currently undertaking a Masters in Global Leadership through the World Economic Forum, in conjunction with The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Cornell Tech, INSEAD, London Business School and the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS).