This podcast is part of the #MissingEntrepreneurs 2023 campaign, which features an OECD-EC report analysing the challenges that underrepresented groups face as entrepreneurs. We will shine an entrepreneurial light on the stories of women, young people, seniors, people with disabilities, immigrants and unemployed people.
Young entrepreneurs have a huge role to play as slow productivity growth, climate change, demographic change and the digital transition come together in a perfect storm for many economies. The new OECD-EU “Missing Entrepreneurs” report finds that if youth (18-29 years old) participated in early-stage entrepreneurship at the same rate as “core age” men (30-49 years old), there would be an additional 3.6 million “missing youth entrepreneurs” in OECD countries. This accounts for about 11% of the total number of “missing entrepreneurs” in the OECD as young people face a range of barriers to success. David Halabisky from the OECD and Anita Tiessen, the CEO of Youth Business International, unwrap issues around money, mindset and motivation for young people in the world of business.
Guest: Anita Tiessen, CEO of Youth Business International (YBI)
Host: David Halabisky, Project Co-ordinator at the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities
Anita Tiessen is CEO of Youth Business International, and leads the global network’s efforts to connect members, partners and young people to develop and scale new solutions that leverage the power of entrepreneurship to drive social and economic change. Anita has extensive experience in international development, human rights and leading global networks. Before joining YBI in 2018, Anita was CEO of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, a global movement of 150 country members, where she focused on growing the organisation’s reach and impact. Previously she was Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF UK, and Head of Communications at Amnesty International’s global headquarters.
Mr. David Halabisky is a project co-ordinator in the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. He is currently working on several projects related to entrepreneurship policy, including a multi-year project on inclusive entrepreneurship and is the main author of the Missing Entrepreneurs reports. Prior to joining the OECD, David worked for more than a decade in the Canadian Public Service where he worked on SME policy at the Federal Ministries of Industry, Finance and Labour. Mr. Halabisky has won several awards during his career, including a Best Paper Prize from the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada. He has degrees in economics from the University of British Columbia and McMaster University.