Hala Hanna takes over as the program's executive director at MIT. Solve

By: WE Staff | Friday, 14 April 2023

Hala Hanna has been appointed as the new executive director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) programme Solve, which she joins with pleasure. A marketplace for social impact innovation, MIT Solve encourages innovation to find solutions to global issues.

Hala has more than 15 years of experience working in the public, business, and nonprofit sectors to create a more equitable and sustainable society. Hala spent the past six years working at MIT Solve where she helped the project develop into a global community.

Solve uses open innovation challenges to find the world's most promising tech-based social entrepreneurs with a focus on underserved communities. Following that, Solve offers assistance so they may increase their impact.

With the assistance of the Solve community, an ecosystem made up of close to 100 companies from diverse industries and sectors, MIT Solve has launched more than 60 worldwide and specialised challenges. Creators from more than 180 different countries have submitted around 16,000 submissions for Solve's challenges.

Solve has selected more than 260 Solver teams, impacting more than 170 million people globally, and more than $60 million in finance has been made available to support innovators' growth and the creation of enduring impact.

Before joining MIT Solve, Hala was the Director of Strategy and Impact at the World Economic Forum. She has experience working with the World Bank and the UN, where she has advised senior officials on reform and donor engagement.

She has worked professionally throughout North America, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Hala has also performed a range of advising roles, including those with UN Women, UN initiatives, and the Brussels-based Women Political Leaders group.

Hala has an MBA from American University, a Master's in International Development from Harvard University, and a Bachelor's in Economics from the American University of Beirut. She also holds a Master's in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

According to Cynthia Barnhardt, MIT Provost and President of the Solve Steering Committee, "Hala's appointment as executive director is a testament to her passion for supporting innovators from all over the world, her dedication to creating a better planet, and her ability to inspire those around her." I am convinced that Solve will achieve new heights in promoting innovation to address the most critical problems facing our planet under Hala's leadership.

The concept that complicated global problems may be solved by fostering and encouraging human inventiveness throughout the world is at the heart of MIT Solve's work, according to Hala. "This mission is crucial and inspirational. The opportunity to lead Solve's worldwide community in building a more inclusive and sustainable society for future generations makes me feel incredibly honoured."