We’re excited to share that Tatiana Glad joins the Impact Hub global team as our new Executive Director. Tatiana, current Co-Founder and Director of Impact Hub Amsterdam, takes over from Gabriela Gandel, who led the network for the past 10 years. We sat down with Tatiana to learn more about her as a human, her ambitions for the network – and her own entrepreneurial action.

Q: Tatiana, to start with, how would you describe yourself in 3 words?
A: A pragmatic visionary!

Q: You’ve been with – and part of – the network for over 15 years. Why this role? Why now?
A: It is an honour to step into this role and have the opportunity to build on the legacy of our past decade and help forge the next one – given the urgent need we now have in the world for sustainable solutions. Our collective strategy Ambition 2030 represents the promise of Impact Hub when I first joined as a member (Impact Hub Islington, 2005).

Also, it’s why I started an Impact Hub (Amsterdam, 2008), why I served on the global Board (2015-2018) and contributed through other roles, and why I want to continue to serve the network. Ambition 2030 provides direction for how we will create more value for the planet, for the people that comprise our community and our wider allies through pursuing – together – tangible transformational shifts in society.

Q: What a journey so far! What are you most excited about as you step into this new role?
A: Stepping into this role, I feel blessed to inherit strong building blocks and a rich heritage, and look forward to building on what works already. As an Impact Hub entrepreneur, I see opportunities to really give momentum to what we have built – to bring our impact makers to scale, evolve our network into a strong ecosystem that leverages complementarity across our diverse contexts, and widen access to a range of community partners.

Ambition 2030 provides direction for how we will create more value for the planet, for the people that comprise our community and our wider allies through pursuing – together – tangible transformational shifts in society.” – Tatiana Glad

We will continue growing impact enterprises that pioneer and scale solutions and create inclusive jobs, as well as invite large scale collaborations across the public, private and civic sectors to support the shift to the mainstream of these solutions and the inherent system change they call for.

I bring into this new role the incredible experience I’ve had with my team and our partners at Impact Hub Amsterdam over the last years. We’ve accelerated 1000s of impact entrepreneurs in key transition areas in our society: circularity, food transition, sustainable fashion and inclusion; we’ve built out our community in partnership with other networks through an ecosystem approach that creates an enabling system for our entrepreneurs to continue to grow and scale; we’ve launched a source and match offering to connect SMEs and corporates with innovations from across our network. You can read more in our recent Impact Report. I am so very grateful for my team who has now ‘graduated’ me to my own next level – and am excited to work with them and our peers across 100 cities, with the incredible talent on our global team, to become a system for change and make impact the norm!

Q: We talk a lot about taking action today for a better tomorrow. How do you do that personally? And what really inspires you in our network?
A: I have a passion for water and social innovation. I co-founded Waterlution in 2003 and continue to touch in with young water innovators through that network. I have a strong interest in natural well-being: plant-based nutrition, alternative health and recently certified as a yin yoga teacher. My inspiration every day are the 24.000+ entrepreneurs across our network who commit their heart and hands to start enterprises with a vision to better their society – especially those who truly face the odds in their own family and/or country contexts to do so.

Q: Incredible! Any final words to end on?
A: The world needs pragmatic action and collaboration more than ever… Let’s move from aspiration to manifestation. Let’s Hub!

After 10 years of leading the Impact Hub Network, Gabriela Gandel will move into a new role on our Impact Hub Association global board in 2022. We asked her to share her most memorable 10 moments of the past decade. Read her story.