Dahan Mariana

About

Dahan Mariana is a remarkable specialist in digital technologies and identity, originally from the Republic of Moldova, where she began her career in the mobile telecommunications sector. With over 28 years of experience, she initially worked for operators such as Orange and Vodafone in developed and developing countries, analyzing the impact of technological innovations on economic growth and social development. Among her top achievements are the 2014 launch of the global Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative at the World Bank, where she coordinated digital identification programs that attracted over one billion dollars in funding for developing countries, as well as the 2017 founding of the World Identity Network (WIN), a non-profit organization dedicated to universal identity through technologies such as blockchain. A graduate of prestigious institutions such as Université Paris Dauphine, ESCP Business School (where she obtained a doctorate in management and economic sciences), MIT Sloan School of Management, and Harvard Kennedy School, Mariana Dahan has collaborated with major international organizations, including the World Bank – where she was Senior Operations Officer in the office of the Senior Vice President responsible for the 2030 Development Agenda and UN relations –, the Universal ID Council (where she is Chair of the Board), the Global Blockchain Business Council, Singularity University, and the United Nations. She was recognized in the Top 100 most influential people in identity by One World Identity (2017-2020), named UN Ambassador for Global Goal 16 on identity, and has published essential works such as "Quenching the Thirst for Innovation: Modeling the Diffusion of Mobile Technologies," contributing to innovative programs like "Blockchain for Humanity" against child trafficking. As a human rights activist and documentary filmmaker, Mariana Dahan produced the film "Shadows in the Dark: Our Global Identity Crisis," promoted by actress Amber Heard, and is a global ambassador for Hope and Homes for Children and CCF Moldova, thus linking her work to her Moldovan roots. Based in the United States, in Washington D.C., she is fluent in Romanian, Russian, English, French, and Spanish, reflecting her childhood spent in the former Soviet Union and her determination to overcome obstacles through continuous education. Involved in projects such as TwentyTu in Moldova, she inspires young people from the diaspora and continues to transform technology into a tool for social inclusion.