Ravi Gurumurthy

He/Him

Ravi Gurumurthy is Group Chief Executive Officer, joining Nesta as Chief Executive in December 2019. Ravi was previously responsible for the International Rescue Committee’s work in designing, testing and scaling products and services for people affected by crisis in over 40 countries - from reducing acute malnutrition and intimate partner violence, to expanding employment for Syrian refugees. Prior to joining the International Rescue Committee in 2013, Ravi held a number of roles in the UK Government, including Director of Strategy at the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change and as a strategic advisor to the Foreign Secretary. Across many departments, Ravi led a number of major social and environmental reforms including the development of the world’s first legally-binding carbon emissions targets and the integration of children’s services. Ravi has also worked as a researcher at the think-tank Demos and in local government in London. Ravi writes a fortnightly substack on policy innovation.

Jon Collins

Jon joined Prisoners’ Education Trust as Chief Executive in April 2021, having previously been chief executive of the Magistrates Association. Prior to that, Jon was chief executive of the Restorative Justice Council and he has previously worked at the Police Foundation, the Criminal Justice Alliance, the Fawcett Society and Nacro. Jon is a member of the Victims’ Commissioner Advisory Group and the Commission on Crime and Problem Gambling. He is also a governor of a London primary school.

Surini Ranawake

Surini Ranawake is the Head of Innovation at HMPPS, where she leads national initiatives to improve employment outcomes for prison leavers. A specialist in digital transformation and policy reform, she has successfully delivered major projects, including a digital job-matching platform and essential access to banking for leavers. Previously, as Head of Policy, Surini led high-level engagement with the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministers to shape justice reform. She is a passionate advocate for inclusive leadership and social impact.

Max Dubiel

Max Dubiel Co-founded Redemption Roasters in 2016 with Ted Rosner after they were approached by the Ministry of Justice about setting up a roastery in a prison to train residents and reduce reoffending rates. With twelve coffee shops across London, a roastery in HMP The Mount and barista and technician training academies in HMP Pentonville and HMP Highdown, Redemption Roasters is on a mission to reduce reoffending through coffee. Max oversees the coffee, wholesale and impact teams, working closely with these departments to further the scale of Redemption’s impact and increase sales. He led the recent fundraise in 2024 securing investment from Macquarie, Rothschild & Co and Barrow Cadbury trust.

Nick Hadris

I've been at COOK for 3 and a half years, after coming through the RAW Talent programme, designed for people with barriers to employment, to help them find sustained employment at COOK. My barriers to work included mental health diagnosis', a criminal record including a custodial sentence and homelessness. I had a strong work background including being a regional manager and part of an SLT. I had to rebuild myself emotionally, mentally and physically from the ground up, but since joining COOK, have had 4 promotions in this time and my time is shared between the RAW Talent team, training, coaching, mentoring and buddying new RAW Talents. The reason for my success has been the support given along with inclusive hiring.