Penny Power has worked in the technology sector since 1983, building sales channels and helping people overcome challenges with technology. In 1998, she co-founded Ecademy, the UK's first social network for business, which was sold in 2012 after helping over 600,000 small businesses connect globally. She authored a book in 2009 and created a manifesto in 2011 to help others elevate their voice and lead change. In 2011, she founded the Digital Youth Academy to help young people gain jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises through apprenticeships. Penny was awarded an OBE in 2014 for her work in entrepreneurship and social digital development. In 2016, she is launching the Business Café network of cafes to provide digital

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Penny Power OBE www.pennypower.co.uk @pennypower
Penny joined the Technology Sector in 1983 and built many sales channels and help people
that find technology challenging.
In 1998 Penny and Thomas Power founded Ecademy, the UK’s first social network for
business, a fore-runner to LinkedIn which followed in 2002 and FaceBook in 2004, Penny
and Thomas learned many of the lessons of building community and supporting people in
this way. Ecademy www.ecademy.com was sold in 2012 – leaving a legacy of over 600,000
Small and Micro Businesses who understood what it meant to be part of a global community
as friends.
In 2009 Penny authored her book, “Know Me, Like Me Follow Me” which was followed by her
Manifesto for Digital Business Britain http://www.pennypower.co.uk/DBBM in 2011
supported by Mark Prisk MP, UK Business Minister. Penny become a Sector Leader through
this and learned how to help others elevate their voice in their communities and lead change
through purpose.
In 2011 Penny stepped into the Education market, bringing an employer driven qualification
to market and founded the Digital Youth Academy www.digitalyouthacademy.com (DYA)
bringing a new Apprenticeship to market to help young people get jobs that played to their
Born Digital strengths and embed them into our SME community to help them grow and
digitally transform.
In the 2014 New Years Honours List Penny was been awarded an OBE for her commitment
to ‘Entrepreneurship and Social Digital Development’.
In 2016, following extensive research and experience Penny and her Business partner Gail
Thomas are bringing to market a new concept in SME Support. The Business Café® will be a
network of Café’s dedicated to SME’s. The Business Cafe will be a channel for the Digital
Software market and others wishing to support small businesses in towns across the UK. The
Business Cafe will provide Digital Skills and capability to the local business community for
free when required, personalising the experience in a 121 friendly way.