Petr Baron

Petr Baron — (born, 28 November, 1980) is a British banker, angel investor and entrepreneur who currently holds the position of CEO of challenger tbi. Baron has been an early investor in several technology ventures as well. Baron was featured on the cover of the Romanian edition of Forbes Magazine in January 2023.

Early life
Baron graduated from Taunton School (GCSE, A-levels) in 1999. In 2002 he earned a BSc degree in Investment and Financial Risk Management from Cass Business School.

Career
During the early stages of his career, Baron held several board positions in the finance industry across various European markets. Baron has also made angel investments in multiple fintech ventures such as Silverbird, Finmap, Releva.ia, FintechOS, Lili, 3S Money, Swipe, ANNA Money, Myos.

VAB Bank
Baron joined the Supervisory Board of Ukrainian VABank in 2003. Later, he was appointed as the CEO and Chairman of the bank, which was subsequently rebranded as VAB Bank. During his tenure, all nine companies in the VAB Group merged into a unified financial services supermarket in Ukraine, VAB Bank emerged as one of the most technologically advanced brands in Ukraine, and Baron was recognized as a prominent figure in the country's banking industry.

In 2008, Baron participated as a judge in two seasons of the local edition of the television program "Dragons’ Den" - known as "Business Sharks" in Ukraine.

In 2011, there was a change in ownership of VAB Bank, and due to a difference of opinions, Baron resigned from his position.

TBIF Financial Services
Baron joined TBIF Financial Services in 2012 as the Vice President Strategy, following the company's acquisition of the Bulgarian branch of Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NBL), which was subsequently rebranded as tbi bank. During his tenure, the Kardan Group, which owned TBIF, decided to divest its financial business. Baron played a crucial role in the 2016 acquisition of TBIF by the Latvian 4finance Group.

tbi
In 2016, Baron assumed the role of CEO at tbi, a consumer lending bank with operations in Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Germany and Lithuania. tbi bank is recognized as one of the highly profitable banks in Southeast Europe. in January 2023 Baron was featured on the cover of the Romanian edition of Forbes Magazine, where he shared his personal and tbi's story.

Personal life
Petr Baron lives with his wife and two sons in London, UK. He is also an art collector and dog enthusiast.