Ilana is an award-winning product designer with over 6 years experience, having worked in Montreal, Toronto, London (UK), and Helsinki (Finland). She was one of 12 official speakers at the Concordia TEDx Conference 2011, where she demonstrated her toy, originally designed to bridge the communication gap between visually impaired children and their sighted classmates, that has now been re-imagined as a tool for people of varying ages and abilities to develop empathy and creative dialogue. Her designs have been shown internationally, including awards for Best in Show at the a.c.i.d.o. Design Competition and the Canadian People’s Choice Award for the Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Competition. With a breadth of knowledge in design, social innovation and collaboration, she now runs her own startup, Twenty One Toys. Using toys and play as tools for social change, Ilana is leading the way for learners of all ages to develop the key 21st Century skills: Innovation, Creativity, Collaboration and Empathic Communication.
