NESTA appoints new Chief Executive

22/02/2011

NESTA, the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts, has today announced the appointment of Geoff Mulgan as Chief Executive Officer.

Geoff will join NESTA in June after 6 years as Chief Executive of the Young Foundation which he launched and built up into a leading practitioner and authority on social innovation.

NESTA's chairman Sir John Chisholm said: "Geoff has a great track record and joins us at a time of unparalleled opportunity. He is a fantastic appointment for NESTA and has the intellectual rigour, vision and ideas to take NESTA to the next level."

Geoff Mulgan said: "This is a very exciting time to be joining NESTA, which is an organisation uniquely placed to test and grow creative answers to some of the biggest challenges our society faces, as well as having a unique contribution to make to the UK's long-term economic growth and creative industries. I'm honoured to have been appointed and look forward to working with a dynamic team within NESTA and a great network of partners."

Geoff's previous roles include roles in government between 1997 and 2004 as director of the Government's Strategy Unit and head of policy in the Prime Minister's office, founder and director of the think-tank Demos, lecturer in telecommunications, investment executive and reporter on BBC TV and radio. He is an adviser to many governments around the world; a visiting professor at LSE, UCL and Melbourne; has been a board member of many organisations, including the Design Council and Work Foundation; and is the author of several books, including the Art of Public Strategy (OUP, 2009) and Good and Bad Power (Penguin, 2006).

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For further information please contact:

Rachel Grant on 0207 438 2600 or rachel.grant@nesta.org.uk or Ruth Attride on 0207 438 2609 or ruth.attride@nesta.org.uk

About NESTA

NESTA is the UK's foremost independent expert on how innovation can solve some of the country's major economic and social challenges. Its work is enabled by an endowment, funded by the National Lottery, and it continues to operate at no cost to the taxpayer. 

NESTA is a world leader in its field and carries out its work through a blend of experimental programmes, analytical research and investment in early-stage companies. www.nesta.org.uk