AMREEN POONAWALA

Amreen Poonawala is a Product Manager at UNICEF, in the Office of Global Innovation, where she drives product strategy and development for digital solutions that leverage AI, blockchain, and XR technologies for social good. She also facilitates key public and private partnerships to accelerate the adoption of Digital Public Goods. Previously, she worked as a management consultant at Accenture, focusing on digital strategy and transformation projects within the financial services, government, retail, transportation, and energy sectors. Her project highlights include an e-commerce platform for a leading Canadian retailer, a novel mobile app for a provincial transit company, and a digital platform for a Crown Corporation. She also led communications as a Canadian representative on the North America Action Team for Y1-2 consultants. Additionally, Amreen has been invited as a keynote speaker at conferences including the WISE National Conference and the University of Toronto International Women's Day Gala. Amreen has served on non-profit boards such as Women in Science and Engineering (an organization that aims to support and empower women in STEM fields) and the Aga Khan Economic Planning Board (an organization that aims to support members from vulnerable families with entrepreneurial, employment, reskilling, upskilling, and educational resources). Most recently, Amreen worked with the MIT Media Lab and the Harvard Learning, Innovation, and Technology Lab to support tech-enabled research endeavors for learning improvement. Amreen recently earned her M.Ed. in Technology and Innovation from Harvard University and has a BaSc. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto. She has received 20+ awards including the UNESCO Education Challenge Prize, MIT Hack4Future Challenge Prize, President's Scholars of Excellence Award, Aga Khan Foundation Award, and Gordon Cressy Leadership Award. During her time at Harvard, Amreen started her own education technology venture, ChalkEd, to make online classes engaging and equitable for every student. Her venture has won multiple awards and grants including the 2021 Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge - Ingenuity Award and the Lemann Program on Creativity and Entrepreneurship Award. Amreen enjoys dancing and has performed internationally. She also enjoys traveling, hiking, watching marine documentaries, and spending time with friends and family. https://www.amreenpoonawala.com/