Leading entrepreneur whose business suffered Russian cyber attack set to become professor at Leeds university

Originally from Belarus, Mr Prokopenya became an entrepreneur in his teens and grew to become known as a pioneer in the digital technology space.

He said: “I am delighted to be appointed as a visiting professor of practice in innovation and entrepreneurship at two prestigious universities in Leeds.

“Many people find the modern world increasingly complex and difficult to understand. I am a passionate believer in fintech as a force for good, which can deliver financial democracy and accessibility that transcends borders.”

Last year, one of Mr Prokopenya’s companies in London was the victim of a cyber-attack which saw millions of computers around the world coerced to bombard the company’s website with multiple requests, in an attempt to crash its systems. The cyber-attack occurred after he had publicly announced a £1 million donation to Ukrainian charities and decided to pull his operations out of Russia in protest against the invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Prokopenya recently became a British citizen. Through their charitable foundation, Viktor and his wife Nadya are increasingly engaged in children’s education, helping deprived families and empowering young women.