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.

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Omar Idris

Design Lead, Design & Technology

He/Him

Omar is the design lead in the fairer start mission, helping to design and develop interventions, specifically looking at the application of AI to achieve the mission goals.

Before Nesta, Omar's career began in the fast-moving consumer goods sector. He lead research and development and disruptive innovation initiatives for Procter & Gamble (P&G) across a global market and touching the lives of users across North America, Europe and India. Here he took opportunities from initial insight through to delivery, across both the Gillette and Venus brands. Working within Gillette's disruptive innovation team, Omar got a taste of social impact innovation, linking CSR to product initiatives, which acted as a springboard into further social impact innovation career moves.

Since P&G, Omar has led the service design and innovation pipeline for Macmillan Cancer Support, building new services and partnerships to support people living with cancer and the wider health system. Beyond this, Omar has further innovation experience across, health, social care, housing and wider third sector. Working with a housing and care provider, he set up a spin-out innovation unit to tackle long standing social challenges for marginalised communities in south Wales.

Omar has a background in science, design and product research which he brings together to tackle the challenges he's facing.

Outside of work, you can usually find him walking the coastline of the Gower, in the sea, cooking and being a clown for his little boy.