Beena Tharakan - Member Profile

With over 20 years of management consulting experience at IBM, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young (EY), Beena has made significant contributions to the government and public sector. Her extensive expertise in community and social services has allowed her to advise a diverse range of clients, including large urban centers, townships, municipalities, social services agencies, education systems, and healthcare providers.

Beena’s passion for utilizing data to drive evidence-based decision-making has led her to develop smart, innovative solutions that create positive social impacts. This passion inspired her to launch a mission-driven consulting firm dedicated to integrating social innovation into public systems, catalyzing societal change toward more equitable outcomes. She continues to consult with Canadian municipalities on strategic service reviews and modernization initiatives, as well as advising on provincial program transformations to better serve local community needs.

Her exploration of social innovation extends to innovative finance and governance models. Beena’s experience in social impact investment includes establishing and managing a business accelerator in Ghana, funded by a European development bank’s impact investment fund. She was also part of a global team that developed a citizen intelligence SaaS solution, applying advanced analytics and AI for outcomes-based measures and risk assessments in social service programming, including child protection and the opioid crisis.

Beyond her professional achievements, Beena is an avid traveler and fitness enthusiast. She has traveled across six continents in search of adventure and recently completed her first HYROX race in Toronto. She is now preparing for her next race in New York City this spring.

Beena holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, an Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSc) from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with multiple recognition awards from McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business. She recently completed an Advanced Academics Program in Data Analytics and Policy from Johns Hopkins University.