Hannah Yakobi

Hannah Yakobi is an award-winning executive, who has spent the last 25 years driving change at organizations in Canada and abroad. Her specialties include transformational leadership, disruptive innovation and strategic planning that is KPI-driven. She is currently the Vice-President of Communications at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR).

Hannah speaks four languages and has lived in six countries. Throughout her career, she has worked in the media, agency, not-for-profit and corporate sectors. Prior to CIFAR, Hannah was the Vice-President of Marketing, Communications and Events at the Public Policy Forum. Other career highlights include the Canadian Cancer Society, Plan International Canada, Postmedia and Estee Lauder.

Hannah’s work has changed legislation, won awards, and supported leaders across Canada during the challenging times of work-to-rule and the pandemic. Over the years, Hannah has also led many campaigns that went viral on social media and directly oversaw large-scale multi-sector events around the world.

She has served on several boards, including the Canadian Association of Journalists and the Society for International Development. She is a former photojournalist and founder of Canada’s first digital fashion magazine, FAJO. Hannah graduated with highest honours from Carleton University’s school of journalism, and has professional and executive certifications from Harvard, Oxford and Queen’s universities.