Lily Lapenna is the Founder and CEO of UK based social enterprise MyBnk - www.mybnk.org. In this role, Lily has been appointed a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2011, selected as an Ashoka fellow in 2010, and named Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the New Statesman in 2008. Her programmes continue to win awards for excellence in financial capability – most recently in 2010 by Children and Young People Now Magazine.
Together with the MyBnk team, Lily has created a series of learning programmes that range from money management workshops to the first ever FSA (Financial Service Authority) approved youth led banking scheme run by young people for young people. MyBnk-in-a-Box provides and accessible place to save regularly and interest free loans to set up enterprises. Through MyBnk’s unique learning programmes, young people build the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their money effectively and to make enterprising choices throughout their lives. MyBnk also promotes the idea of social enterprise - that success is not just about making money, but being a force for positive change in the world. In the last 4 years, Lily has taken MyBnk from a single pilot project to an organisation reaching over 37,000 young people. Through a social franchise model MyBnk is now expanding to have a national and international presence.
As a speaker she has passionately made the case for Social Enterprise, Financial and Enterprise Education and Women in Leadership. She has shared her experience at The World Economic in Dalian and in Brussels as well as speaking at academic institutions including: the London Business School, The University of Oxford, the Cass Business School (London), IESE Business School (Barcelona)
Lily has mentored and guided the start-up and operations of other Social Enterprises, such as Foodcycle UK. She sits on the Board of Trustees for CIVA (the Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action) and has not lost her passion for international development and hands-on action – Lily is an advisor to the charity Olive Branch for Children (Tanzania).
A 2003 graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies London, with a degree in Development Studies and African Studies, Ms. Lapenna also spent year at the Oriental Institute, Naples, on an Erasmus Scholarship. She began her career in international development in Africa and Asia, focusing on the empowerment and participation of young people through non-formal education. Whilst in Bangladesh, Lily became aware of the positive impact of micro-finance and saving services. She saw how a small loan can unleash potential, and give way to entrepreneurial ideas and lead to self sufficiency and this inspired her to set up MyBnk.