Stian Westlake began his career at McKinsey & Company in Silicon Valley and London, where he provided strategic advice to a range of private and public sector clients, focusing on healthcare, technology, and corporate and infrastructure finance. He also spent a year on secondment to HM Treasury as a founder member of unit set up to develop and reform Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and to provide financial and political advice to government ministers.

Before joining Nesta, Westlake worked at The Young Foundation in Social Venture. He was responsible for managing investments in a range of social enterprises and founding Healthy Incentives, an innovative health.

Westlake joined Nesta in 2009. He leads Nesta’s Policy and Research team, which develops new insights into how innovation works and influences policy and practice to make it happen. He has also led a variety of special projects, including setting up a £1.5m social finance fund and managing Nesta’s £2m Creative Industries program.