ALI KITINAS, 18

Founder of Freedom Scrub and One Two Many

marie claire: You were Australia’s youngest CEO. Tell us about founding your first business at 11.

Ali Kitinas: My first business was called OTS Marketing, and it was a small social media agency. Being young and growing up on social media, I had a lot of my mum’s business colleagues asking me, “Can you help me with Instagram? I have no idea how to use it!” So I thought why not turn it into a business and help startups that don’t have a lot of money and can’t hire a bigger agency? mc: Then at 16 you became the founder and CEO of Freedom Scrub. What was your inspiration for the business?

AK: Founding Freedom Scrub was a serendipitous moment. I had just come back from a trip to Kolkata, India, where I was working with a charity called the Hope Foundation that rescues young girls from human trafficking. When I came back to Australia, I was introduced to the Freedom Hub, an organisation that works with women and girls in Australia affected by human trafficking. When I learnt that this was happening in my own country, I knew I wanted to help. At the same time, I was making body scrubs as gifts for people for Christmas. It all clicked when I realised the Freedom Hub has a cafe, which raises money for their Survivor School. I decided to recycle their coffee grinds to make body scrubs and support their work. mc: It’s a big mission. Have you felt underestimated because of your age? AK: It was definitely tough being taken seriously as a young businessperson. I was 16 going to corporates asking for funding, usually talking to men who were quite a lot older than me. I went to a networking event with my mum and someone actually asked her if she couldn’t get a babysitter that night. It was challenging and daunting, but I was so passionate, I just kept moving forward. mc: Now 18, you’ve pivoted to making masks with your business One Two Many, which supports the Variety foundation. How did that come about?

AK: I’m studying fashion at the Whitehouse Institute and saw a gap in the market for masks lined with satin that don’t irritate sensitive skin. Creating homemade reusable masks really made sense to me. mc: Gen Z can get a bad rap. What would you like to say to those who think you’re entitled snowflakes? AK: I would say, don’t underestimate us. We’re educated, informed and we do our research. In some ways, we are one of the most intelligent generations because we have so much information at our fingertips and know exactly what is going on in the world at all times. We might not watch the

6 o’clock news on TV, but we are aware of the issues facing the world and we’re passionate about fixing them.

“DON’T UNDERESTIMATE GEN Z. WE’RE EDUCATED, WELL-RESEARCHED AND PASSIONATE” – Ali Kitinas