Sonila Cook

Sonila Cook is the Executive Chair of Dalberg Catalyst, where she works closely with the leadership team to advance bold, collaborative strategies for systems change. From 2020 to 2025, she served as the organization’s founding CEO, shaping its mission and early growth. A practitioner of systems change and a global coalition-builder, Sonila’s work centers on problems that transcend sectors and call for joint leadership from multiple types of actors. She spearheaded the creation of Preventing Pandemics at the Source, a groundbreaking initiative that brings together leading health and conservation actors to address the root causes of pandemics.

Before leading Dalberg Catalyst, Sonila was a Partner at Dalberg Advisors. She joined the firm’s founding team in 2003 and played a pivotal role in its growth—launching the Environment Practice, directing the New York office, and advising leading governments, multilaterals, nonprofits, companies, and foundations on strategies to confront pressing global challenges. Her clients included the Rockefeller Foundation, UNDP, Human Rights Watch, New York City Government, Swiss Re, Unilever, and the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery.

Prior to Dalberg, Sonila worked for McKinsey & Company. She holds an MBA from Columbia University and an AB in Economics from Harvard University. She has spoken at various fora including the World Economic Forum and the Council on Foreign Relations, and her perspectives have appeared in publications such as The Guardian, The Lancet, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. She also serves on the Board of the Rainforest Alliance and previously served on Dalberg’s Board of Trustees.