anthana Kaenprakhamroy grew up in a small village in Yasothon, in the north east of Thailand, where “jobs are scarce and there are only handful of office jobs around,” she says. “Most people are farmers, education was difficult to access and, as a woman, I was not encouraged to study.”
When her mother found work in Sweden, the family moved to Europe, but Kaenprakhamroy didn’t speak Swedish and a careers adviser said her best hope was to be a waitress. She moved to London and became the first person in her family to go to university. Now Kaenprakhamroy runs Tapoly, an on-demand insurer for freelancers, contractors and SMEs which she founded. It has launched in Australia, Thailand, the US and parts of Europe, as well as the UK.
“I was terrified when I first arrived — I couldn’t speak English and I only had £300, but I was surprised at how kind people here are. I felt…
