# Carol Fishman Cohen

> Carol Fishman Cohen is the CEO and co-founder of iRelaunch, co-author of Back on the Career Track and host of the 3,2,1 iRelaunch podcast. Her return to finance after an eleven-year break became a Harvard Business School case. She works with employers and returning professionals on career reentry, and in 2026 announced a three-year collaboration with Sonu Ratra and Tami Forman following Akraya’s acquisition of iRelaunch.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at iRelaunch
- **Organizations:** iRelaunch, Bain Capital / Sankaty Advisors, Drexel Burnham Lambert, Flextronics, Society of Women Engineers / iRelaunch STEM Reentry Task Force
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Economics, Pomona College, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Co-founded iRelaunch in 2007., Subject of a Harvard Business School career reentry case published in 2003., Co-author of Back on the Career Track.

## Career timeline

- **1981** — Graduated from Pomona College.
- **1985** — Earned Harvard MBA; early career included manufacturing at Flextronics.
- **1987** — Joined Drexel Burnham Lambert’s Boston corporate finance group.
- **1990** — Drexel collapsed during her maternity leave; began an eleven-year break from full-time work, including part-time project work in the early years.
- **2001-2002** — Returned to finance at Bain Capital’s Sankaty Advisors.
- **2003** — Her return became the Harvard Business School case Carol Fishman Cohen: Professional Career Reentry.
- **2005** — Interviewed Sandra Day O’Connor with Vivian Steir Rabin during research for their book.
- **2007** — Published Back on the Career Track with Rabin and co-founded iRelaunch.
- **2012** — Published The 40-Year-Old Intern in Harvard Business Review.
- **2015** — Co-founded the STEM Reentry Task Force with the Society of Women Engineers; delivered TEDxBeaconStreet talk.
- **2021** — Published Return-to-Work Programs Come of Age in Harvard Business Review.
- **2026** — Akraya acquired iRelaunch; Cohen announced she would collaborate with Sonu Ratra and Tami Forman over the next three years.

## Achievements

- Co-founded iRelaunch in 2007.
- Subject of a Harvard Business School career reentry case published in 2003.
- Co-author of Back on the Career Track.
- Delivered How to get back to work after a career break at TEDxBeaconStreet in 2015.
- Named to Thinkers50 Radar in 2017 and shortlisted for its Talent award that year; shortlisted for Ideas into Practice in 2023.
- Received the Society of Women Engineers President’s Award in 2017 for co-founding the STEM Reentry Task Force.
- Received the National Military Spouse Impact Award in 2018.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Akraya announced its acquisition of iRelaunch on July 14. Cohen announced a three-year collaboration with Sonu Ratra and Tami Forman; the integration FAQ names Forman as executive director of iRelaunch.
- **2026-10** — iRelaunch advertised its 40th Return to Work Conference and Virtual Job Fair for October 6-8, 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://www.irelaunch.com/about/our-team/carol-fishman-cohen
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolfishmancohen/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/iRelaunch
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carol_fishman_cohen/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/carol-fishman-cohen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16