After graduating from French school of management ESCP Europe in Paris, Marie first worked in France with multinational companies in the food industry in Marketing and Brand Innovation departments.

While moving in 2013 to Warsaw in Poland, joining the board of the French Lycee, she realized how enthusiastic she was about education, transmitting values and bringing solid professional competencies to good causes.

Her Executive Director role is to lead both the SYB charity program and the SYB social enterprise. Inspired by the students’ thirst and energy, my dream is to help more and more students to become passionate young bakers and to engage communities around them!

Senada holds a Master degree in Management specialized in the Agronomy / Food Industry. She has more than 10 years experience in the Retail Industry. Previously she worked as sales on the field before getting promoted to Head of Sales Development. Her multicultural background inspired her to discover more Cultures and led her to come to China where she studied Chinese language and Culture at the Shanghai Theater Academy. She choose to share her experience and expertise to serve a noble project. This is how she joined Shanghai Young Bakers. She is now in charge of the entire program as Resource development  and she helps SYB to find new sponsors and fundraising leads.

Sara was quite touched by the “fraternity” advocated in France when she studied there. This reminded her of the aspiration to fulfill the social responsibility. After graduation, she has worked in Africa for more than one year. And she also participated directly or indirectly in several events held by NGOs.  She had found information about SYB with surprise and joined this family full of love in February 2019. She hopes that her experience and the passion for bakery could bring some positive impact on the operations of the organization.

Eve Wu is SYB’s Social Enterprise Coordinator. Before joining SYB she worked in textile trade for many years, has a wealth of product development and coordination experience. In spare time, she took an active part in public activities. Some of these activities inspired her to start thinking about using her skills and experience, devoting herself to a more meaningful job by helping others. Eve Wu is impressed by SYB’s mission, story, and people. When she heard of SYB, she decided to start a new and wonderful “journey”.  She formally joined SYB in October 2017. Her main responsibility is commercial activities’ liaison and coordination as well as supporting SYB activities development and improvement.

Cathy and her family arrived from France in Shanghai 4 years ago.

Executive assistant for over 15 years, she needed to stay busy and useful so she started to volunteer for different associations and charities. As a mother of 3, she feels concerned about kids’ education and that’s why she decided to join SYB team since September and uses her experience to help the charity to develop teambuilding activities and private classes.

Coming from Shenzhen, China, Zane holds a MPhil in Philosophy degree from University of St Andrews, Scotland and is currently studying human rights at University of Vienna, Austria. Having lived and studied in Europe for four years, Zane returns to China for his internship in an attempt to gain practical experiences in NGO operations and a better understanding of his home country. His passion in a fairer society has led him into a career path connected with social work and human rights. Fascinated by SYB’s innovative approach of empowering disadvantaged young people, Zane joined in September 2019 as an intern responsible for our social enterprise promotion.

Marine is a graduate in Chinese, Sociology and more recently in Management of Development. Before moving to Shanghai to join Shanghai Young Bakers’ team, she worked for more than four years in Guangxi Province for the French association Couleurs de Chine in order to provide school fees to children issued from minorities. She is convinced that a little push can place everyone out of the social and financial difficulties and can bring people to lead their path with dignity. Shanghai Young Bakers is for her this little push that helps young students to gain real skills and self-confidence in order to develop themselves and their environment. She joined the team in May 2016 as Deputy Program Director.

After an exchange year at Nanjing University to study Chinese and complete her master’s degree in cross-cultural relations, Emilie found herself a real passion for Chinese society and culture. After a few years working in Shanghai, she decided to take a turn in her career and do something she had always wanted to: join the non-profit sector. Joining SYB is the perfect way to give back to the Chinese society which has now welcomed her for 8 years, by helping underprivileged Chinese youth to gain financial independence and access to a dignified life.

Floriane is a graduate from Sciences Po Paris and Peking University. Her studies focused on her two passions: China and sustainable development. After getting actively involved in various non-profits, she realized that the most disadvantaged have all the resources to get out of poverty by themselves, all they need is for people or organizations to tap into their huge potential! Finding SYB to be the embodiment of this belief, she joined the team in 2011 and was program manager from 2012 to 2014. Back to France for new adventures in the NGO/social enterprise world, she remains involved as a program advisor. 

Mrs Helene Hovasse is the Head of food and agro business department at BusinessFrance China, the commercial branch of the French Consulate. As  the mentor of the project since the beginning of the SYB adventure, she  has provided invaluable support and contacts to the program. 

Chenbo joined SYB in July 2018, as Deputy Program Director in charge of students and their training, partnerships and communication. Prior to that, he worked 7 years as market researcher for both professional research agency and manufacturer sides. Driven by the passion for education, he also did jobs as language teacher and students’ career development manager. He hopes to positively influence people around by doing a meaningful job.

Diana is passionate about communication, especially listening to people and helping those who are in need. During her internships and volunteering activities, she realized the great impact of media and society changing people’s mindset. Urged to contribute her effort to establish a positive attitude to the disadvantaged, she found SYB a great organization through which she could get access to digital communication and let more people be more aware of those who are in need, understand them and caring for them. Diana is in charge of social media as well as partnerships, by which she is trying to find more opportunities for our students.

Xiao Jinjin is from Anhui province. She received her high school diploma before enrolling in our pilot programme. She interned at the Hyatt on the Bund and the Crowne Plaza as part of her training at SYB. Xiao Jinjin specialises in French pastry and taught SYB students for four years before taking over as the technical director of SYB’s social enterprise. She manages, develops and improves SYB’s commercial activities whose profits are used to fund the students’ training. Besides making pastry, she is passionate about everything that can improve the SYB programme and help people in need, who, just like her, want to make a positive change in their lives.

Anne-Claire came to Shanghai in July 2016 and felt the need to make her stay in China more meaningful for others. She decided to take part in the Shanghai Young Bakers’ adventure. Her role is to develop social enterprise services for companies. Anne-Claire holds a Master in Engineering and has several years’ experience working as Project Manager.

Jing Cheng, from Shenzhen China, currently works in UOB China. Graduated from University College London with major of MSc Management (finance pathway).

During her four years in UK, she has developed communication skills, and she feels passionate about life and work. She loves jogging and baking, joined UK Charity Marathon for three conservative years and still jogs for 10 kilometers regularly when coming back to China. She used to have her own weekend Chinese Bakery Studio in partnership with her best local friend in Belfast.

She is also passionate about volunteering. Shanghai Young Bakers is the organization she feels her heart goes. For her, it is very important to work in an organization where individuals are supportive and also work closely with people who come from different backgrounds, countries and work together towards one goal: helping people to become a real baker and make a better living. She appreciates SYB giving her this opportunity and she will try best to make a difference.