Sarah Dankens

Strategy & Operations

Policy Analyst

Resarched, wrote, and published the following briefs: • Dankens, Buisson. The Economics of Water for Transitioning Food Systems. International Water Management Institute, 2025 • Dankens, Buisson. The Water–Energy–Food Nexus. International Water Management Institute, 2025

Summer Associate

2030 Water Resources Group, World Bank Water Global Department A multi-donor trust fund hosted by the World Bank, driving water security via public-private partnerships • Led global review of WRG’s private sector engagement strategy; delivered recommendations to mobilize private capital and redesign funding/governance models to align with corporate water risks across 5 countries • Developed private-sector engagement strategy for a first-of-its-kind global water-reuse network

Consultant

Strategy consulting firm specializing in corporate water risk management for CAC 40 companies • Developed a supply-chain water-risk assessment tool to identify priority agricultural raw materials and regions, assessed client water-risk exposure, delivered recommendations to enhance supply-chain resilience and advance nature targets • Key clients: Kering, LVMH, Diptyque, and Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Consultant, Strategy & Transformation

For FACT Alliance, part of Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) at MIT Consulted and designed food system strategy.

Case Writer & Independent Researcher

• Co-authored 2 case studies on the political economy of U.S. agriculture with Sr. Assoc. Dean Forest Reinhardt; conducted stakeholder interviews and secondary research, analyzed financial and operational data, wrote publication materials • Cases featured in HBS’s annual Agribusiness Executive Education Program Published cases: Swanson Family Farms. Harvard Business School, 2026 U.S. and Global Agriculture: The Next Four Years. Harvard Business School, 2025

Water & Biodiversity Strategy Manager

Team reporting to Chief Strategy Officer • Implemented nature risk and opportunity assessments; facilitated mitigation strategies for at-risk sourcing and operations; delivered external/regulatory reporting materials; launched 2024 water strategy with updated KPIs • Co-developed stewardship & sourcing projects to address risks, secured external partners & bank co-financing (>$200K) • Managed and expanded water-related strategic partnerships (e.g., Ramsar, UN Global Compact, NGOs, and dev. banks) • Led advocacy at global forums, event planning, and C-Suite briefing/speech preparation (e.g., UN Water 2023)

Associate Procurement Manager

EU Packaging Procurement Manager, Waters Division • Managed end-to-end procurement from marketing brief to product delivery; oversaw 10+ suppliers and 200+ internal clients; led a ~1k-reference/year marketing activations portfolio; analyzed performance to optimize processes and costs

Pass

Trained for the national French culinary exam. Passed: 15/20 The CAP Cuisine is the French state-recognized professional culinary diploma, equivalent to a vocational degree in classical French cooking. It's the foundational credential of the French culinary system, covering classical technique, kitchen management, food safety, and practical cooking exams evaluated by industry professionals.