Advisory Board

Ilan Cooper

International Development & Business Development Strategist

Ilan Cooper brings more than 18 years of experience steering multi-country development portfolios, winning complex donor programmes, and guiding strategy for global implementers. He blends hands-on field leadership with capture-to-award excellence, unlocking funding and partnerships across fragile and growth markets.

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Portrait of Ilan Cooper

Focus Areas

Focus

Business Development Leadership

Leads capture-to-award cycles, securing more than $400M in new wins while overseeing global proposal teams and playbooks.

Focus

Donor & Partner Engagement

Builds strategic relationships with donors including GAC, GIZ, FCDO, and corporate partners to broaden financing and partnerships.

Focus

Programme Delivery

Served as Acting Chief of Party and Deputy Chief of Party, translating capture insights into measurable implementation results.

Focus

Growth Strategy

Shapes billion-dollar pipelines through data-led market analysis, opportunity prioritisation, and competitive positioning.

Focus

Thought Leadership

Publishes on transitional justice, conflict, and security, and holds advanced degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Chicago.

Advisory Experience

Strategic Growth & New Business

  • Oversaw an annual business development pipeline exceeding $1B.
  • Delivered $400M+ in new awards by orchestrating integrated capture, proposal, and negotiation teams.
  • Built repeatable processes for market intelligence, pre-positioning, and bid governance.

Programme Leadership

  • Managed a $100M portfolio spanning governance, economic growth, and resilience programmes.
  • Served as Acting COP and DCOP, guiding multidisciplinary teams through start-up and stabilisation phases.
  • Introduced adaptive management routines linking field delivery with headquarters strategy.

Donor & Market Partnerships

  • Expanded relationships with GAC, GIZ, FCDO, USAID, MCC, and corporate impact investors.
  • Negotiated consortium agreements and local partnerships that strengthened competitive positioning.
  • Championed inclusive partner engagement, elevating local implementers within global bids.

Career Highlights & Insights

Global Development Impact

Has supported programmes and new business across Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, specialising in fragile and post-conflict contexts.

Academic Excellence

Holds master’s degrees with distinction from Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, and a BA with honours from King’s College London.

Collaborative Approach

Applies a partnership mindset that aligns corporate resources, field insights, and donor expectations to deliver results and long-term alliances.