About Nesta

Nesta is a research and innovation foundation. We apply our deep expertise in applied methods to design, test and scale solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time, working across the innovation lifecycle.

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Kathy Peach

Director of the Centre for Collective Intelligence Design

The Centre for Collective Intelligence Design explores how human and machine intelligence can be combined to develop innovative solutions to social challenges

Kathy is the Director and co-founder of the Centre for Collective Intelligence Design at Nesta, which explores how human and machine intelligence can be combined to develop innovative solutions to social challenges. Kathy was the lead author of the Collective Intelligence Design Playbook, and leads the Centre's partnerships with UNDP and the International Federation of the Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies - applying collective intelligence design to address the Sustainable Development Goals and improve local humanitarian response. She also oversees the Centre's grants programme, which has supported 30 different experiments around the world. Her Nesta publications include Collective Intelligence for Sustainable Development, Collective Crisis Intelligence for Frontline Humanitarian Response, Our Futures: By the people, for the people, Participatory AI for Humanitarian Innovation, and Combining Crowds & Machines.

Previously, Kathy was Head of Innovation & Foresight at Bond - the global network for international development organisations. She has also held leadership roles at a range of non-profits, including disability charity Scope, international development agency VSO, and the public body Healthwatch England. She was a board member of the Nobel prize-winning charity Mines Advisory Group (MAG) between 2013-2019, and a member of the Newton Fund Prize Committee in 2018 and 2020. She is currently an expert adviser to the World Economic Forum on Technology & Society.