Founder, Principal Investigator

Anna is Russian-British, holds five Master’s degrees, and is currently pursuing an Executive Doctorate in Business Administration focused on Impact Innovation at Ecole des Ponts.

With over 15 years of experience in regeneration and impact studies as both an academic and practitioner, Anna is a startup founder and consultant. Alongside founding the AKUMEN Research Lab, she also runs the boutique architectural practice AKAINA Studio and the social startup Way Whispers for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago.

Anna serves as Head of ESG & Impact for MIPIM, teaches at leading business schools including HULT, EDP, and Bayes, and is a public speaker at prestigious events such as TEDx.

Social Research Manager & Community Engagement Lead

Rifka is Swiss-British, with an Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree (M.A.) in Global Public Policy, completed at the Central European University and the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals, following a B.A. in International Development and Anthropology at the University of Sussex.

She has, among others, worked at the Ministry of Women, Science and Research, as well as the Chamber of Labour in Austria and the Ministry of Justice in the UK.

Her expertise lies in social research, stretching from health policies, to impact reports. Her academic focus lies on the socio-ecological transformation of societies.

Urban Research Lead

Joséphine is French-German with an Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree in Political Economy, following a B.Sc. in Business Administration.

She has, among others, worked at the European Parliament and the OECD. Passionate about urban policy, she is writing her thesis on social mix policies Paris and their impact in the housing sector.