The tenth-anniversary milestone formalises governance as the charity scales across 10 countries and 35,000 students.
Young Founders School (YFS), the international charity that has delivered entrepreneurship education to over 35,000 students across 10 countries, today announced the establishment of a formal global governance structure comprising a Global Board and Country Boards. Alongside the restructure, YFS has appointed four experienced leaders to its inaugural Country Boards in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Robert Lin, Former Head of Investor Relations at Alibaba Group and a long-standing YFS advisory board member, has been named Chair of the Hong Kong Board. A former Morgan Stanley research analyst and Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA graduate, Lin brings deep capital markets expertise and a track record of supporting entrepreneurship ecosystems across Greater China.
Neil Patwardhan, a two-time startup founder, former Senior Vice President at Accenture, and recognised go-to-market strategist, has been named Chair of the Singapore Board. A Global Sales Leaders 100 honouree and longtime mentorship advocate, Patwardhan brings deep expertise in scaling businesses across Southeast Asia.
Elaine Li, who leads Brunswick Group’s Hong Kong office and serves as Asia-Pacific lead for the firm’s Financial Situations Practice, joins the Hong Kong Board. Li advises some of Asia-Pacific’s most prominent organisations on high-stakes strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and financial transactions. She holds a Master’s from INSEAD.
Tiffany Tse, founder and Managing Director of Joint PR Consultants Limited and a graduate of the Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA programme, also joins the Hong Kong Board. Tse specialises in cross-border growth strategy, advising leading CEOs across China and Hong Kong on market development, investor relations, and strategic communications.
Billy Naveed, Founder and Chairman of YFS, said: “After ten years of organic growth across ten countries, it was time to build the governance structure that matches our ambition. Robert has been with us since our advisory board days and a mentor prior to that. He is the natural choice to lead Hong Kong. Neil brings the go-to-market expertise and entrepreneurial credibility that Singapore demands. Elaine’s experience advising Asia Pacific’s most prominent organisations on high-stakes communications gives us exactly the strategic voice we need. And Tiffany’s track record of building and scaling her own firm from the ground up speaks directly to what we stand for. Together, they are exactly the calibre of leadership our next chapter requires.”
Chris Geary, CEO of YFS, said: “What excites me most about these appointments is that every one of them is a doer. Robert has spent his career at the intersection of capital and entrepreneurship. Neil has built and scaled companies. Tiffany founded and runs her own firm. Elaine advises boards at the highest level. They don’t just understand our mission in theory. They’ve lived it.”
The governance restructure creates dedicated Country Boards to oversee YFS operations in each market, supported by a Global Board responsible for strategy, partnerships, and organisational direction. Further Country Board appointments are expected in the coming Months.
About Young Founders School
Young Founders School is a HK-registered charity that delivers AI-powered entrepreneurship courses and real-world internship programmes to young people worldwide. Founded in 2016, YFS has reached over 35,000 students across 10 countries, partnering with leading corporations, schools, and mentors to give every young person the skills, confidence, and opportunity to build their own future.
Learn more at: youngfoundersschool.com.
Media Contact:
Name: Rituparna Konar
Contact: +91 8250456816
Email: rituparna@youngfoundersschool.com
