Who is Who
Elliot Polak is the Founder and CEO of My XXY | Chromodiversity Foundation and a Top 50 Global Neurodiversity Evangelist. A multicultural entrepreneur and father, he champions early diagnosis, compassionate support, and global awareness of genetic differences. Through advocacy, research partnerships, and community empowerment, Elliot leads a movement to redefine how the world understands and supports chromodiversity.
There are moments in life when a single realization reshapes everything that comes after. For Elliot Polak, that moment came while navigating the complex and often confusing landscape of genetic differences as a father. What began as a personal journey toward understanding his own child’s needs evolved into a global purpose: building a world where children and adults with DNA differences are seen, supported, and understood. That purpose would become the driving force behind My XXY | Chromodiversity Foundation, the organization he founded to reimagine how society perceives and supports genetic diversity.
Elliot often shares a belief that guides every part of his work: “The solution to every problem is community.” This idea, reinforced through global forums and cross-disciplinary collaborations, has shaped his vision for a future in which groundbreaking scientific advances reach the families who need them most. For him, progress is not defined solely by innovation, but by the people and communities empowered along the way.
A Foundation Rooted in Culture, Curiosity, and Identity
Born in Manhattan and raised within a tapestry of cultures that included American, Belgian, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Irish, and Norwegian influences, Elliot grew up surrounded by the idea that identity is not a single thread but a woven pattern. Even family routines varied so widely that his parents could not agree on the “right” way to brush their teeth. These early experiences helped him see diversity as a strength rather than a barrier. It also shaped his ability to navigate nuance, adapt across environments, and think across cultures, traits that would later define his entrepreneurial and advocacy work.
His education mirrored the eclectic nature of his upbringing. From Tuxedo Park School and École alsacienne to his studies in Materials Science at Pierre and Marie Curie University and Philosophy at the University of Paris I: Panthéon-Sorbonne, Elliot explored fields that pushed him to understand both how things work and why people think the way they do. This multidisciplinary foundation helped him build companies and teams capable of bridging gaps between cultures, sectors, and ideas.
Entrepreneurial Beginnings and Global Leadership
Long before founding Chromodiversity, Elliot’s career was marked by innovation on a global scale. In 1998, he founded Textappeal, a pioneering transcreation agency that became a leader in helping world-class brands translate and adapt their advertising across cultures and languages. Over eighteen years, the company served clients such as Allianz, Citibank, Dior, Emirates, Patek Philippe, Samsung, Sony, Starbucks, and P&G, proving that successful global communication requires more than translation. It requires cultural intelligence.
In 2016, Elliot launched Social Dividend Global, a strategic consultancy that continues to advise global consumer brands through data analytics and social listening. The firm has been recognized multiple times as Best Strategic Insight Consultancy. Under his leadership, it expanded to 120 markets and built expertise across 30 languages. Colleagues and clients consistently praise his clarity, insight, and global thinking. As one executive noted, “Elliot understands not just what makes people different, but also what they share in common.”
Another recommendation from a colleague highlights Elliot’s passion and ability to drive long-term vision: “He is a great partner and leader, always open to ideas and conversations, and keeps his sights focused on the long game.”
These testimonials reflect the qualities that have fueled Elliot’s success across corporate, nonprofit, and advocacy spheres.
A Personal Mission Becomes a Global Movement
The turning point in Elliot’s story came with a deeply personal connection to the mission he would later champion. As the father of a boy with an extra X chromosome, and later as he learned more about the experiences of children and adults with chromosomal differences, he discovered the challenges that families face worldwide. Many go through a maze of delayed diagnoses, fragmented care systems, and uncertainty about the future. For Elliot and his wife, an accomplished international leader from Italy, supporting their children—four in total, each remarkable in their own way—meant confronting these challenges head-on.
Driven by both personal experience and professional expertise, Elliot founded My XXY | Chromodiversity Foundation in 2020. Originally created to raise awareness around XXY, the organization quickly expanded to address a broader need. Chromodiversity, a term introduced and amplified through the foundation, helps shift the narrative away from medicalized labels toward a celebration of natural DNA variation. Much like biodiversity reflects the richness of ecosystems and neurodiversity reflects the diversity of minds, chromodiversity highlights the genetic uniqueness that shapes human identity.
Today, the foundation’s mission is clear: support families, eliminate stigma, increase visibility, and help children and adults with genetic differences thrive. Central to this mission is the development of an innovative digital health platform created alongside leading institutions such as Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Colorado. Through this work, the foundation aims to change not only outcomes for individual families, but the way global health systems understand genetic difference.
As one scientific leader who partnered with the foundation wrote, “Elliot’s drive to make a meaningful difference is commendable. His knowledge in this area is impressive.”
Shaping the Future of Genetic Inclusion
Elliot’s advocacy is grounded in a belief that early diagnosis and compassionate communication can change lives. Through numerous international events, symposiums, and cross-sector conversations, he reminds audiences that genetic differences are common and often misunderstood. In one of his most widely shared reflections, he emphasized that “children with genetic predisposition to rare disease deserve access to the same breakthroughs transforming medicine for everyone.”
He has spoken at gatherings addressing precision medicine, genomics, population health, and the future of well-being. He has spotlighted programs such as the Emirati Genome Project, newborn screening research, and global initiatives that use genomics and AI to predict and prevent health challenges. Across each setting, he returns to a central message: science moves quickly, but families need support now.
His posts frequently highlight the urgency of making advanced knowledge accessible. “What happens at early age to each one of us changes what happens at every age for all of us,” he wrote, underscoring the lifelong impact of early detection and care.
He also champions inclusive language, noting that words shape perception. The foundation’s work on depathologizing language was featured at the 2025 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics conference, reinforcing that compassion and clarity must go hand in hand in genetic communication.
Leading Through Community, Experience, and Hope
My XXY | Chromodiversity Foundation continues to create programs that help children build confidence, connect with peers, and celebrate their strengths. From community events to mentorship programs and the eXtraordinarY Experiences camp days, Elliot places lived experience at the center of support. These spaces remind children that they are not alone and that their strengths matter.
Elliot’s leadership style reflects this same ethos. He builds teams that value empathy, intelligence, and collaboration. As noted by one colleague, “It is impossible not to be inspired by his vision and commitment to helping others.”
Another recommendation shared, “He knows what it means to deal with different cultures effectively. His integrity is remarkable.”
This blend of global expertise, cross-cultural fluency, and personal purpose has enabled Elliot to shape a new movement in genetic inclusion, one that bridges science and humanity.
A Vision for Tomorrow
Elliot envisions a world where genetic differences are understood early, supported with care, and embraced as part of human diversity. His work reflects a belief that better outcomes are possible when families have access to the right information at the right time.
He often reminds audiences that the future of health cannot be limited to scientific progress. It must also include compassion, equity, and community. His goal is to ensure that every child with a genetic difference is met with understanding rather than fear, opportunity rather than stigma.
The movement he leads is still expanding, but one truth remains constant: when science, advocacy, and lived experience come together, possibilities multiply. Through My XXY | Chromodiversity Foundation, Elliot continues to build a world where those possibilities become reality.
Editorial Note
Elliot Polak’s journey shows that leadership rooted in personal purpose can create global impact. His work challenges us to rethink how we perceive genetic differences and what it means to support families with compassion, understanding, and evidence-based care. Readers are encouraged to explore the mission of My XXY | Chromodiversity Foundation, engage with the conversation around early diagnosis, and join the growing movement to celebrate and support chromodiversity worldwide.
