THE TEAM
Mike Butcher
Founder & Chairman, Techfugees Foundation, UK 🇬🇧
Mike Butcher is Editor-at-large of TechCrunch. Mike has been named one of the most influential journalists in European technology by Wired UK, The Daily Telegraph and the Evening Standard. He also founded the annual Europas Awards, the co-working network TechHub and has advised the UK government on tech startup policy. He was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list of 2016 for services to the UK technology industry and journalism.
Olesya Matveychuk
Head of Global Community, Techfugees Foundation, UK 🇬🇧
Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Olesya enjoyed building a tech community in Ukraine. With a career as a graphic designer to CEO of HUB 4.0 (one of the leading Ukrainian coworking centers), she led an investment team in the development of a national IT and innovation cluster; creating the very first Gallery of Innovations in Ukraine; built a community of more than 12 000 members; arranged local and international tech hackathons including organising digital business meetups with IT, stakeholders and more.
Olesya has a background as a journalist, political campaign manager, and marketing strategist to find solutions by thinking outside the box. During her life she was fortunate to visit 30+ countries; enabling her to understand cultural features, and develop communication skills across many different communities.
Alexandra Annable
Non-Executive Director; Marketing, Communications & Strategic Partnerships, Techfugees Foundation, UK 🇬🇧
Alexandra brings a distinguished career spanning over two decades international experience as a global PR and communications C-level professional elevating brand ideals for organisations seeking to enhance their reputations and visibility by communicating with the right audiences. She has worked with several of the world’s biggest tech firms that include Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Facebook, Oracle, EA Games and many more including renowned brands and tech start-ups; harnessing the power of digital and social media to engage customers and build a strong digital presence for businesses to scale across international markets.
A passionate entrepreneur with a creative neurodivergent growth mindset and strong work ethics who challenges the status quo to apply innovative communications approaches and engagement strategy to drive next generational growth.
Alexandra stands #WithRefugees around the world and is committed to contribute to Techfugees mission to empower refugees with responsible tech developed for and with them, whilst amplifying their human rights in the digital society.
Mitchell Goldman
Non-Executive Director, UK 🇬🇧
Mitchell Goldman (aka ‘Mitch’) brings a distinguished career spanning as a commercial veteran of 13 years with a bias for action, founding three startups (including a successful exit) together with 6 years of investment banking discipline. A proven team leader and player with a curious growth mindset, creating 15-40 person teams from scratch, acquiring over 5 million users and 800 partners in the process.
As a serial advisor with specialism across strategy, growth, partnerships, funding, and corporate finance, Mitch has successfully launched & nurtured 9 businesses; all of which have been purpose-driven and their teams have consisted of over 35% of the LGBTQ+ community.
In other initiatives, he’s helped OLIO, a peer-to-peer food waste platform, saving over 60 million portions of food from waste, whilst helping Mattr, a neurodiverse dating platform, raise their first rounds of financing. He’s experienced in complex negotiations, having personally executed over £30bn of deals and raised £20bn+ in capital for government, institutional, startup, and multinational clients.
He is also a renowned natural public speaker having conducted 14 panels & keynote speeches, 12 published articles, and 9 podcasts in 2022 alone.
Mitch stands #WithRefugees around the world and is committed to contribute to Techfugees mission to empower refugees with responsible tech developed for and with them, whilst amplifying their human rights in the digital society.
Danielle Treharne
Non-Executive Director, UK 🇬🇧
Danielle is driven by her passion for supporting under-served communities, and has put financial inclusion at the heart of her career. As the Head of EMEA and APAC at cross-border remittance fintech Remitly, she works to provide diaspora communities with fair and trusted financial services every day. In her fifteen-year career she has built and managed microinsurance businesses in Uganda and Senegal, and runs a private sector development program in DR Congo.
She is a Commissioner at the U.K. Financial Inclusion Commission, and a keen advocate of women in the workplace.
Danielle stands #WithRefugees around the world and is committed to contribute to Techfugees’ mission to empower refugees with responsible tech developed for and with them, whilst amplifying their human rights in a digital society.
