Noeleen Cohen

Chair of New Israel Fund UK; incoming chair of the Movement for Progressive Judaism; former ZF finance director

Noeleen Cohen
Born	December 1962
Nationality	British
Occupation	Charity chair; company director
Known for	Chair of New Israel Fund (UK); incoming chair of The Movement for Progressive Judaism; former finance director of the Zionist Federation of the United Kingdom and Ireland

Noeleen Cohen (born December 1962) is a British charity chair and company director. She chairs New Israel Fund (UK) and, at an extraordinary general meeting on 29 September 2026, was elected incoming chair of trustees of The Movement for Progressive Judaism (MPJ), to take office at the movement's AGM on 2 December 2026. She was a director of Zionists UK Limited, the company which trades as the Zionist Federation of the United Kingdom and Ireland (ZF), from 22 April 2025 to 12 October 2026, and was the ZF board member responsible for finance.

Companies House records her nationality as British and her month and year of birth as December 1962. Existing Powerbase pages have used the red-link title Noeleen Cohen (1962); that title is a proposed redirect to this page.

Background

Cohen grew up in South Africa and moved to London in the early 1990s. The Movement for Progressive Judaism says she built a career in strategic marketing and communications before moving into the voluntary sector, where she has worked for more than 20 years. A New Israel Fund profile says her professional background is in marketing and brand management for multinational companies, that she has taught communications and brand strategy to postgraduate students, and that she is chair of the board of the networking company Circle Sq (The Circle.Expert Limited, company 10736918), of which she has been a director since 14 October 2017. She is a member of Alyth (North Western Reform Synagogue) and has served as its co-chair.

New Israel Fund UK

Cohen was appointed a director of New Israel Fund (company 03296825, charity 1060081) on 30 April 2021 and became chair of trustees in May 2021. NIF UK said she had served on its Human Rights Awards Dinner Committee from 2012 to 2016. On her appointment she said it was "an opportunity to get even closer to the advocacy and education work that NIF does in the UK and Israel, and to champion our grantees who strive every day to build a more just and equitable Israel." She remains chair.

Movement for Progressive Judaism

Cohen is a director of The Movement for Progressive Judaism (company 16501951), appointed on 16 June 2025, and was elected incoming chair of trustees at an extraordinary general meeting on 29 September 2026. She is to serve as chair designate alongside Dr Ed Kessler MBE until the movement's AGM on 2 December 2026. MPJ said she had previously served on its advisory and interim boards ahead of the unification of Liberal and Reform Judaism. Cohen said she was "honoured and excited to be taking on the role at a time when the Progressive Jewish values of inclusivity, connection and community are needed now more than ever."

Zionist Federation

Cohen was appointed a director of Zionists UK Limited on 22 April 2025, after Lea Mühlstein and John Strawson had been appointed on incorporation, and resigned on 12 October 2026, the day after a general assembly elected a new ZF board. The ZF website listed her as the board member for finance. The Jewish Chronicle named her among the outgoing directors and described her as "the designate chair of the Movement for Progressive Judaism".

Other roles

Cohen has been a director of Citizens UK Charity (company 05268071) since 14 July 2016 and is described by NIF and MPJ as vice-chair of Citizens UK. She was a director of the London Jewish Forum (company 05720881) from 23 June 2020 to 30 June 2025, a director of North Western Reform Synagogue (company 12336110) from 27 November 2019 to 5 February 2024, and a director of Friends of Leo Baeck Haifa (company 07410989) from 30 September 2012 to 1 December 2018. NIF has also listed her as having served on the advisory board of PAJES, the Partnership for Jewish Schools.

Companies House appointments

Company	Company no.	Role	Status	Appointed	Resigned	Source
The Movement for Progressive Judaism	16501951	Director	Active	16 June 2025	–
New Israel Fund	03296825	Director	Active	30 April 2021	–
The Circle.Expert Limited	10736918	Director	Active	14 October 2017	–
Citizens UK Charity	05268071	Director	Active	14 July 2016	–
Zionists UK Limited	16362332	Director	Resigned	22 April 2025	12 October 2026
London Jewish Forum	05720881	Director	Resigned	23 June 2020	30 June 2025
North Western Reform Synagogue	12336110	Director	Resigned	27 November 2019	5 February 2024
Friends of Leo Baeck Haifa	07410989	Director	Resigned	30 September 2012	1 December 2018

All eight appointments are recorded under a single Companies House officer ID.

See also

• Zionist Federation of the United Kingdom and Ireland
• New Israel Fund (UK)
• The Movement for Progressive Judaism