Jacob Korenblum
Marketing
Jacob Korenblum is renowned for his leadership in enterprise digital strategy. He has dedicated over 15 years to crafting and implementing innovative digital solutions for challenges encountered across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. His work has gained recognition from top media sources, including The Financial Times, Forbes, Devex, and Scientific American. He resides in Toronto, Ontario, where sailing is among his favorite pastimes.
Career in Social Initiatives and Innovation
Right from the outset of his career, Korenblum has been deeply engaged with social justice and international aid efforts. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he joined the Education Development Center (EDC) based in Washington, D.C. This nonprofit operates globally, striving to enhance job prospects, education, and health services in over 80 countries. He swiftly moved into a leadership role, directing monitoring, evaluation, and communications for a significant Middle Eastern project, and spent several years living in the region.
After his tenure at EDC, he joined OXFAM, another prominent nonprofit organization. Between 2008 and 2010, he visited economically challenged regions in Malawi, India, Haiti, and Kenya to lead critical economic development projects. His leadership in various microenterprise assessments and mobile technology projects supported OXFAM’s mission to advance gender equality, economic opportunity, and climate action, positively affecting over 25 million people annually.
Foundation of a New Social Enterprise
While working in the Middle East during the early 2000s, Korenblum encountered a critical challenge: a significant lack of internet access. This was especially acute in Palestine, where high costs and poor network coverage made reliable internet access a rarity. Despite this, he noted a high mobile phone ownership rate among locals—around 80%. This trend of high mobile phone ownership despite low internet access was shared across many developing countries.
In 2005, Korenblum capitalized on this gap by co-founding the nonprofit organization Souktel. Named from the Arabic for “telephone” and “market,” Souktel aimed to link job seekers with employers via SMS, circumventing the need for internet access. His initiative enabled thousands of mobile users in Palestine—and eventually in 30 other countries—to access employment opportunities, greatly fostering economic empowerment and inclusion.
A Digital Career Focus
In 2018, Korenblum pivoted his career focus towards roles within government and the private sector, concentrating on digital policy development at the Government of Ontario until 2021. He significantly contributed to the Ontario Digital Service, developing policies that enhanced the delivery of digital services that became crucial, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, to residents across Canada.
Academic History
Korenblum’s academic achievements include a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Toronto, completed in 2004. He was a recipient of the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation Fellowship in Social Enterprise at Harvard University in 2005. He completed a Master of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2006, focusing on social enterprise and international education policy.
Notable Accomplishments
Korenblum has been an advisor to the UNESCO Pearson Digital Literacy Initiative and has authored publications for UNICEF. He also contributed as a member of the advisory board for the Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit from 2016 to 2018.
Charitable Work
For over four years, Korenblum has served as a strategic advisor to The Global Citizens’ Initiative, supporting efforts to promote human rights, sustainability, climate protection, conflict resolution, and other critical humanitarian goals.
Jacob Korenblum continues to devote his expertise and time to significant global social challenges, assisting small business owners and communities worldwide with his extensive experience and entrepreneurial acumen.