Hélène Smertnik

Program Director

“The learning partnership with the Mastercard Foundation has been a fantastic opportunity for knowledge exchange and creation. It’s about the research we conduct but also how we conduct it, with whom, how we disseminate it and what impact it will have on the Foundation and key actors in the digital development space.”

Hélène is Program Director at Caribou Digital, where she leads the company’s learning partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. She supports the program in delivering actionable research and insights activities on youth livelihood opportunities in a digital and AI age. Previously, she worked for the GSMA Mobile for Development, leading advisory to Mobile Network Operators in the utility access sector. Hélène holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Toronto (during which she did a year exchange to Salamanca, Spain) and an MA in Policy and Strategic Communications from Université La Sorbonne - Paris 1. Hélène is French and Canadian, and is currently based in Paris.

Contact them at: helene@cariboudigital.net