Jimmy Wales Keynote Speaker

Jimmy Wales is a keynote speaker and Internet entrepreneur best known for founding Wikipedia.org, as well as other wiki-related organisations, including the charitable organisation Wikimedia Foundation, and the for-profit company Wikia Inc., which operates Wikia.com.

In January of 2001, Jimmy started Wikipedia.org, the online encyclopaedia that anyone can edit, and in mid-2003, he set up the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in St. Petersburg, Florida, to support the Wikipedia.org site. In 2004, Jimmy co-founded Wikia Inc. with Angela Beesley. Wikia Inc. is a for-profit company based on principles similar to Wikipedia.org, which allows people to contribute information and opinions on any topic, in any language. As part of his work at Wikia Inc., Jimmy is developing a human-powered search engine, Search Wikia, which will be based on the same open, transparent, community-driven principles of Wikia and Wikipedia.

He was appointed a fellow of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School in 2005 and in 2006, he joined the Board of Directors of the non-profit organisation Creative Commons.

Recently, The World Economic Forum recognised Jimmy as one of the Young Global Leaders of 2007. This prestigious award acknowledges the top 250 young leaders across the world for their professional accomplishments, their commitment to society and their potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world. In addition, Jimmy received the Time 100 Award in 2006, as he was named one of the world’s most influential people in the Scientists & Thinkers category.