Stina Ehrensvärd Named EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 for Groundbreaking Work in Cybersecurity

Stina Ehrensvärd Named EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 for Groundbreaking Work in Cybersecurity

(IN BRIEF) Stina Ehrensvärd, co-founder of Yubico, has been named the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2025. She was recognized for her visionary leadership in revolutionizing internet security and advancing Yubico’s mission to make the internet safer. Stina’s work has had a significant societal impact, and she is the first Swedish woman to win the prestigious title in its 25-year history.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 7-Jun-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Stina Ehrensvärd, co-founder of Yubico, has been named the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 at a prestigious award ceremony held in Monaco’s Salle des Etoiles. Stina was selected from nearly 5,000 candidates, including 52 winners from 43 countries, competing for the global title. She is the fourth woman in the award’s history and the first from Sweden to receive this distinction in the 25 years since the award’s inception.

Stina’s leadership has been instrumental in the exponential growth of Yubico, a company she co-founded in 2007 with the mission of making the internet safer for everyone. Within a year, Yubico introduced its first YubiKey, a physical security key designed for multifactor authentication (MFA), which revolutionized the cybersecurity landscape. Over the following five years, Yubico successfully secured partnerships with three of Silicon Valley’s biggest technology firms. Today, the company protects 19 of the world’s 20 largest internet companies and has achieved a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40% since 2020.

Janet Truncale, EY Global Chair and CEO, said:

“Stina Ehrensvärd exemplifies the spirit of entrepreneurship—her visionary leadership is shaping the future, especially during these disruptive times. Her accomplishments at Yubico are exceptional, but her philosophy—that a secure digital identity is a basic human right—captures the essence of purpose-driven leadership. Stina’s work has had a remarkable societal impact, and in this milestone year marking the 25th anniversary of this competition, she is a truly deserving winner.”

Stina Ehrensvärd, co-founder of Yubico, expressed her gratitude:

“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition and want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout this journey—especially the incredible teams at Yubico and the EY team in Sweden. This achievement is not the finish line, but rather fuel for the journey ahead. Our mission to build a safer digital world for democracy, free speech, and education continues, and I won’t stop until it’s fully realized.”

The EY World Entrepreneur of the Year award honors visionary leaders who drive economic growth, tackle global challenges, and answer the call to create positive impact. The award is chosen by an independent panel of judges, evaluating candidates based on four criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and impact. This year’s panel was chaired by Asif Ramji, Founder and CEO of Venture Worx.

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SOURCE: Ernst & Young