Itai Madamombe

Itai Madamombe co-founded Oceanix in 2018 driven by her passion for utilizing technology to solve complex global problems. OCEANIX is a bluetech company that designs and builds floating infrastructure for people to live sustainably on the ocean. OCEANIX is building the world's first sustainable floating city in South Korea, in collaboration with UN Habitat (the UN lead agency on cities and all things urban). Itai is a renowned global strategist with a strong track record building multi-stakeholder partnerships. For a decade, she held key positions in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. As the Head of Innovation and Partnerships, she led efforts to forge consensus between leaders in government and the technology industry. Itai first served as the global health advisor to the Secretary-General. She was also the chief architect of the Secretary-General's Global Education First Initiative to meet an annual $16 billion shortfall in funding. She was later appointed as the Head of Outreach for the Sustainable Development Goals at their inception. Itai started her career at the Harvard AIDS Institute working as a research assistant to Dr. Max Essex who is renowned for being the first scientist to discover the HIV virus as the cause for AIDS. She also worked at the Rockefeller Foundation helping developing countries to fight the HIV pandemic. Itai holds a Masters in public health from Harvard University and a Master’s and Bachelor’s in Psychology.