Ravi Gurumurthy, currently Chief Innovation Officer and founder of the Airbel Center at the International Rescue Committee in New York, will replace Geoff Mulgan, who has led Nesta since 2011.

Welcoming the appointment, Sir John Gieve, Chair of Nesta’s Board of Trustees, said, “I am delighted to welcome Ravi to Nesta. His record of strategic thinking and innovation will help him build on Geoff Mulgan’s achievement in transforming Nesta from a quango to an independent charity promoting innovation for social good.

“There are huge opportunities today to use new technology and science to transform society for the better and to meet the challenges we face - from climate change to the loss of trust in big institutions. Under Ravi, I am confident Nesta will continue to nurture the best innovations, show that they work and collaborate to scale.”

Ravi Gurumurthy said, “Nesta plays a unique role generating, researching and scaling innovation in the UK and globally. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to build on the terrific work done by Geoff Mulgan and the team, and harness the skills, networks and resources of Nesta to tackle the biggest societal challenges of our time.”

The appointment comes at an exciting time for Nesta, an organisation which uses innovation methods and investments to tackle big challenges facing society, from the frontiers of personalised healthcare to stretched public services and a fast-changing job market.

Working both nationally and globally in partnership with foundations, governments and corporate entities, Nesta spends over £40m a year working to develop high-impact solutions that can change lives for the better.

In his current role, Ravi Gurumurthy is 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.

Geoff Mulgan oversaw the transition of Nesta from a Non Departmental Public Body reporting to Government to an independent charity. Under Geoff’s leadership, Nesta expanded its scale of activity and today employs more than 300 people.

Ends

Notes to Editor

For media enquiries please contact:

Sarah Reardon - [email protected] / 07880 613 500

Will Hoyles - [email protected] / 07812 362714

About Ravi Gurumurthy:

• 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.

About Nesta:

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better.

We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society. We've spent over 20 years working out the best ways to make change happen through research and experimenting, and we've applied that to our work in innovation policy, health, education, government innovation and the creative economy and arts.

Nesta is based in the UK and supported by a financial endowment. We work with partners around the globe to bring bold ideas to life to change the world for good.

Nesta is a registered charity in England and Wales 1144091 and Scotland SC042833