Meet the Founders
Jonathan Kolber, CEO
“Brand is more important than profit.”
Jon grew up in Montreal and Toronto and studied actuarial science at Western and the University of Toronto. He completed his MBA at the Schulich School of Business at York University, where he further developed his passion for people and numbers. After struggling to find a job in finance, Jon accepted a position as an English language teacher at a private school. He quickly realized that the ESL market in Canada was missing something – and that something was ILAC. After sharing his ideas with his roommate Ilan, Jon set out to make ILAC the most respected brand in international education by focusing on the student experience, customer service and partnerships.
Ilan Cohen, President
“At ILAC, you can write your own story.”
Ilan was born in Montreal and grew up in Toronto, where he completed his Bachelor of Actuarial Science at the University of Toronto. Before he started ILAC, Ilan had his own university textbook stores at UofT and York. Ilan always knew that he wanted to work for himself and always created his own employment opportunities. Ilan met Jon after graduating from university and they quickly became friends, roommates and eventually business partners. Once he discovered the exciting world of ESL, Ilan saw the chance to create something new. Today, Ilan lives in Toronto with his family and continues to find inspiration in the teachers, staff, international students and partners that he interacts with every day.
