Halima Khan

Halima is a Director of the Public Services Lab at Nesta where she oversees the design and delivery of programmes that test new ways of solving social challenges. Halima's role is to develop, test and scale new ideas, products and services which have a social purpose. Her work focuses on 'people powered' solutions across public services, civil society and social business, which achieve better outcomes for less by fostering collaboration between frontline practitioners and users. 

Halima's recent Nesta programmes include Neighbourhood Challenge, which explored new methods of community-led innovation including micro challenge prizes; Age Unlimited, which supported older social entrepreneurs to set up a venture for the first time; and People Powered Health, which is exploring how people with long term conditions can live better by combining clinical and patient expertise with strong social networks. She is currently scoping a new programme on ageing and innovation and is a Policy Fellow focusing on ageing at Cambridge University's Centre for Science and Policy. 

Between 2002 and 2010, Halima worked on public service reform at the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, Cabinet Office, where she was a Deputy Director. Halima provided policy advice to Number Ten and Cabinet Office ministers on a range of domestic policy issues.

In particular, Halima developed policy on individual budgets for disabled and older people and advised on primary care reform and the future of local government. During that time, Halima was seconded to Camden Council where she managed the corporate strategy team. Prior to that, Halima worked in international development in South Africa and Pakistan, as well as at the Human Development Report Office at UNDP.

Halima has a first-class degree in Geography from Oxford University and a Masters in Public Administration (MPA ) from the Harvard Kennedy School, where she was a Knox Fellow, 2000-2002. Halima is also an advisory board member for ClearlySo, which helps social entrepreneurs to raise capital, and a member of the Council of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.