Announcing our new chair Marta Krupinska

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Head of Google for Startups UK and leading female entrepreneur Marta Krupinska as the new Board Chair at YBI. 

Marta founded her first business at 19 and has since co-founded three businesses. She has been widely recognized for her achievements and contribution to the field of entrepreneurship, including in Forbes’s #30Under30 in 2016 and their top 60 Female Tech Executives globally in 2018.  

Currently she focuses her role as Head of Google for Startups in the UK to connect and empower entrepreneurs from less advantaged backgrounds and less developed ecosystems, and as Chair of ACUA Ocean is working towards creating the world’s first zero carbon autonomous marine vessels for monitoring and sustainable management of oceans and waterways.   

Marta will formally take up the role of YBI’s Chair of the Board on 17th September, succeeding YBI’s founding chair Sir Malcolm Williamson who has led the organisation for over 15 years, following a successful career which included serving as CEO of Standard Chartered Bank and Visa. 

“Coming from Krakow, Poland, with no networks, capital or entrepreneurship experience in my family, my life and career have been a testament to YBI’s mission. I’m so impressed and inspired by their impact and achievements to date and I believe that YBI is uniquely positioned to deliver value to its network and partners globally. 
There is no time more important to invest in young entrepreneurs than now, and I can’t wait to collaborate with the YBI team and network on this important work.” 

— Marta Krupinska

“Marta’s passion for inclusive entrepreneurship coupled with her wide international, tech-oriented expertise will help accelerate YBI’s impact for young entrepreneurs, supporting them to build thriving businesses that create jobs, inclusive growth, and social impact.” 

— Anita Tiessen, CEO of Youth Business International

In her capacity as Chair, Marta will be leading YBI’s session on Unleashing the Potential of Youth Enterprise at Business Fights Poverty’s Global Goals Summit 2021, focussing on the urgency of youth entrepreneurship in the context of the global economic recovery from COVID-19 and what effective support for young entrepreneurs might look like. It will also mark the launch of YBI’s new report Entrepreneurship within reach: Connecting young people to opportunity, sharing research, learnings and insights from its 20 years of supporting youth entrepreneurship.