Penny Power

Penny Power is an entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker, and community builder with over 25 years of experience. She is the founder of Business is Personal, a platform dedicated to helping business owners thrive through authentic networking, emotional intelligence, and peer-powered growth. 
 

She also co-founded BIP100 Club,  a private community where business owners can build relationships based on honesty, integrity, and mutual growth. At BIP100, Penny and her husband, Thomas Power, host seven in-person events monthly, alongside digital interactions through dedicated apps, promoting a non-competitive, supportive environment. 
 

Penny co-founded Ecademy, the world’s first social network for business owners, which laid the foundation for modern professional networking platforms. Ecademy grew to have over 650,000 members across 52 countries, setting the stage for the future of digital business communities. In recognition of her contributions to social and digital entrepreneurship, Penny was awarded an OBE by the Queen in 2014 and also an award from the Queen in 2024 for services to entrepreneurship.
 

Penny Power served as the Founding Director of Digital Youth Academy, where she advocated for digital skills and apprenticeship opportunities for young people in the UK, partnering with organisations like O2, Accenture, and Lloyds.
 

She was the Head of Community Building at Habitech, creating a community of technology experts to promote home computing in schools, helping parents understand the importance of digital access for their children’s education. Penny also worked as the Sales and Marketing Director at Bytech Distribution, overseeing £80m in annual turnover and managing relationships with major vendors like Microsoft, IBM, HP, DEC, BT, L’Oréal, and Salesforce.
 

Penny also played a crucial role in the Digital Business Britain Manifesto, advocating for digital skills in the UK.  She also founded The Business Café, a concept she launched in 2013 to create a physical space for local business owners, particularly sole traders and micro-businesses, to connect, share skills, and grow together. 
 

Penny Power has been a keynote speaker and conference host, delivering impactful talks such as 'The Human Touch in an AI World: Because Business is Personal', emphasising the importance of emotional intelligence, trust, and human connection in an increasingly digital business environment.  

Penny Power OBE was born in 1964 in the United Kingdom. She developed a deep understanding of the importance of human connection early on, which would shape her career. Penny attended St Gabriel's School, Newbury, where she studied Sociology, Marketing, and Biology at A-level from 1975 to 1980. She later continued her studies at St Barts, focusing on Sociology, Biology, and Physics from 1980 to 1982. Penny also studied Marketing at the Institute of Marketing.

In 1998, Penny co-founded Ecademy with her husband, Thomas Power and Glenn Watkins. This was the first social network specifically designed for business professionals. Ecademy introduced pioneering features such as blogging, event management, and group creation, which are now common in modern professional platforms. The platform quickly grew to 650,000 members across 52 countries. Although Ecademy faced challenges, it was sold to SunZu in 2012, but the lessons learned there laid the foundation for Penny’s future ventures.
 

In 2009, Penny published her first book, Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me: What Online Social Networking Means for You and Your Business. This book focuses on the impact of social media on business, offering guidance on how professionals can harness online platforms for growth and success.
 

From 2002 to present, Penny has worked as a Keynote Speaker and Conference Host for Social Power Ltd, delivering impactful speeches on the integration of human touch in an increasingly AI-dominated world. Her signature keynote, “Human Touch in an AI World: Because Business Is Personal,” explores how businesses can maintain human connection in the digital age. She has spoken for major companies such as BT, L’Oréal, Microsoft, Rolex, and Salesforce.
 

In 2011, Penny founded the Digital Youth Academy, an initiative designed to address the skills gap in the digital sector. The academy provided qualifications for young people in the social digital sector, collaborating with partners like O2, Accenture, Lloyds, and Prince Andrew's IDEA Awards. The academy was officially launched in 2012 in the House of Lords. It was sold to Seetec in 2015, where Penny continued to advocate for Further Education (FE) and apprenticeships.

In 2014, Penny was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) by the Queen for her contributions to entrepreneurship and the development of social digital communities. This recognition was largely due to the impact of Ecademy and Penny’s commitment to building supportive business communities that value connection and mutual growth.

Penny was also the Chief Executive Officer of Digital Business Britain Limited from 2010 to 2012, where she created the Digital Apprenticeship, the first of its kind in the UK. This initiative was designed to help small businesses access essential digital skills. Her efforts were supported by the UK Government and resulted in the formation of Digital Youth Academy.
 

Penny’s next venture, The Business Café, launched in 2013, was aimed at helping local business owners build relationships in a physical café setting, combining online social networking with real-world interactions. This project ran until 2019, providing digital skills and networking opportunities for business owners, with a focus on community and mutual support.
 

In 2019, Penny and Thomas Power co-founded BIP100, an exclusive community for experienced entrepreneurs. The goal of BIP100 is to provide a friendship network where members can collaborate and grow together, prioritising kindness and emotional intelligence over competition.
 

In 2019, Penny also published Business Is Personal: Be the Leader of Your Life and Business, reflecting on her personal journey as an entrepreneur, detailing the lessons learned over 21 years in business. It challenges business owners to embrace the personal side of business and encourages genuine connections and authenticity in professional relationships.
 

Penny is also the author of Success Secrets for Wellbeing (2022) and A Friend in Every City: One Global Family – A Networking Vision for the Twenty-First Century (2006).

Today, Penny continues to lead BIP100, where she focuses on creating a community where business owners can thrive together. She remains an active keynote speaker, author, and advocate for human connection in the digital world.

Penny Power's vision is to create a business world where genuine connections, trust, and collaboration lead to sustainable success. She believes that business should be more than just financial growth—it should be about human relationships and supporting one another. By focusing on the human side of business, Penny aims to inspire entrepreneurs to build networks where everyone can thrive together, sharing knowledge and wisdom. Her mission is to empower business owners to find fulfilment not only in their work but in the communities they create and the people they work with.

Penny Power was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2014 for her significant contributions to entrepreneurship and the development of social and digital communities. This recognition was granted for her work in co-founding Ecademy, the world’s first business social network, which helped shape the digital landscape for business professionals. Additionally, Penny's Digital Business Britain Manifesto has influenced policy on digital skills in the UK.