Ilana Cohen

Ilana Cohen has a long history of experience in the water and sanitation sector. Ilana began their career in 2005 as a Research Fellow at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, funded by the National Science Foundation. In 2007 they began working as an Environmental Scientist and Project Task Manager at CDM Smith. In 2010 they completed their Master's research at the University of Oxford, earning a Distinction for their research on the impact of mobile money for water services in Kenya. In 2012 they worked as a Project Consultant for Aguaconsult Ltd. and Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP). At WSUP they supported a USAID-funded pilot with IDEO.org to create demand for sanitation in urban Ghana using mobile technology. Ilana also organised and ran the London Sanitation Hackathon. In 2013 they began working at the GSMA as the Acting Head of Program/Senior Market Engagement Director, Digital Utilities. During their time there they managed an international team and drove the strategic direction of the GSMA Mobile for Development, Digital Utilities Program. Ilana also oversaw the innovation funding to social enterprises building digital utility solutions. In 2022 they joined Factor[e] Ventures as a Co-Founder of a new venture to develop a water financing platform.

Ilana Cohen attended Brandeis University from 2002 to 2006, where they earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Environmental Studies. In 2005, they participated in a Study Abroad Program in Coastal Ecology in Zanzibar, Tanzania at the School for International Training. From 2010 to 2011, they attended the University of Oxford, where they earned an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management.