Vicki Purewal
Senior Associate
Vicki is a Senior Associate with Innovation Unit, having joined as an associate in 2013. She leads and supports the design and delivery of a range of innovation and change projects, in particular through programme design, innovation coaching and facilitation.
Examples of Vicki’s work with Innovation Unit include facilitation and expert input for the co-design of Manchester Live Well; leading Innovation Unit’s work, and providing innovation expertise and learning facilitation for the Department for Education’s Children’s Social Care Innovation and Strengthening Families Programmes; and leading Innovation Unit’s work on the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge.
Vicki has 20 years experience of working in social innovation and social change, in particular designing and delivering funding and support programmes and directly supporting change makers. She is a skilled facilitator working in a range of environments, often supporting people to test and realise ideas or work together differently. As a freelancer Vicki works across local, regional and national statutory systems, with radical change makers outside of formal structures and with charities and social enterprises. Before working independently and as an associate with Innovation Unit, Vicki spent 10 years designing, running and leading innovation programmes at Nesta, on a range of subjects including learning, community-led innovation, CO2 reduction and early years. At Nesta Vicki also developed and launched the Centre for Challenge Prizes (now Challenge Works).
Vicki enjoys working across system and sector boundaries; designing more effective, fair and sustainable ways to use resources; helping people learn and work together differently; and supporting people with bold ideas to create positive change.