Tom Doust
Senior Associate
Tom has spent over 20 years working in the fields of social innovation, participation and learning with a focus on children and young people. His work has spanned a broad range of contexts including working in the charity sector, with local and national government and alongside global institutions including The LEGO group.
Alongside his role as a Senior Associate at Innovation Unit, Tom is part of the leadership team at The Institute of Imagination, a charity set up to champion the power of imagination in educational and learning settings. He is passionate about creative approaches to social challenges and the role social imagination can play in transforming the environments for positive change. His 2018 TEDx talk was titled The Art of Mind Wandering where he spoke about the importance of generating creative thinking.
He is founder of the youth social action charity Envision which empowers young people from less-advantaged backgrounds to develop essential skills and confidence through tackling social issues affecting their community. In 2013 he was a Clore Fellow with Nesta where he explored impact investment and digital learning across the education spectrum. In 2015 he was winner of the Knee High Design Challenge supported by Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Innovation Charity, working with the Design Council.