Scots web guru joins elite group of global leaders

HE STARTED his business empire six years ago as a teenager fromhis bedroom in his parent's Aberdeenshire home. Now the young Scotto whom millions turn every morning for analysis and insight on thelatest developments in the online world has been recognised as oneof the most influential leaders of his generation.Pete Cashmore, thechief operating officer of Mashable, has joined a select group ofyoung people who the World Economic Forum (WEF) believe will helpshape the world's future. As a newly appointed member of theorganisation's Young Global Leaders group, the 25-year-old will beexpected to attend summits at the Swiss ski resort of Davos todiscuss how technology can help developing nations.His peers in thegroup consist of figures from the realms of business, politics andculture, such as Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the founders of Google.One of only a handful of Britons to join the club, he follows in thefootsteps of Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor.Cashmore, fromBanchory, told Scotland on Sunday: "It's certainly not something Ienvisaged, but it's a pretty distinguished group, so it's humblingto join such amazing, accomplished people."When I was inAberdeenshire, I didn't necessarily have a lot of opportunities toinfluence people, but the internet changed that. I was able toreally become engaged with people around the world in what I wasinterested in."Although he was only appointed a WEF Young GlobalLeader on Thursday, Cashmore has already visited Davos. He wasinvited by the organisation to a summit in January, where he rubbedshoulders with Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder andphilanthropist.The Scot's admission to the club is recognition ofthe rise to prominence of the website he set up in 2005. The firstport of call for many social media enthusiasts, it offers news andtips on how to get the best use of Facebook and Twitter.Mashable hasa readership of 12 million people every month, and Cashmore has morethan 2.2 million followers on Twitter. The site was tipped earlierthis year to be the subject of a GBP11 million takeover by AOL.TheYoung Global Leaders forum was launched by the Geneva-basedfoundation six years ago to bring together "exceptional youngleaders who share a commitment to shaping the globalfuture".Previous inductees include Mark Zuckerberg, the founder ofFacebook, Jimmy Wales, and fashion designer Stella McCartney.Cashmore was one of 190 young people from 65 countries chosen thisyear to join the group out of 5,000 nominations.