United Kingdom
Gareth is an innovation leader passionate about how design and innovation can combine to make places and services better for people. His experience spans public sector innovation strategy and delivery, foresight, tech start-ups and multi-national design consultancy. As Open Innovation Lead, Gareth has built co-built the Open Innovation team and Transport for London's first Design Thinking function - focused on helping market innovators solve some of London's biggest challenges. He spent two years in the start up world as Head of Customer Success for software start up Prospective, leading the deployment of smart cities technologies with the UK's leading transport operators and helping the company double in size despite the COVID pandemic. Gareth has also worked as Foresight Manager at Transport for London, advising the Mayor on how autonomous vehicles, drones, urban air mobility and AI could change the way we move around London. In his career as an Urban Designer, at TfL and as a consultant at IBI Group, he developed innovative public realm strategies and provided design advice for some of the UK's most important and innovative and sustainable public realm, new build and regeneration projects.
Gareth co-built the Open Innovation team at one of the world's leading transport authorities - with the mission to connect Transport for London with innovators that could transform the way we work and deliver our objectives. Playing the role of COO he developed the operating model, recruited a diverse and motivated team, and led the development of a pipeline of projects. Within this he built and led TfL's first Innovation Discovery & Design Thinking team - focused on finding and exploring TfL's toughest challenges and converting them to briefs for the world's leading innovators to solve.
Prospective are building a simulation engine, or 'digital twin', for urban system design and operations. They help mobility companies design and test alternative urban futures, give autonomous vehicles and fleets foresight and enable clients to design and implement adaptive service strategies. Gareth worked with the CEO to develop company and product strategy and led deployment and user engagement. He worked with urban mobility customers to develop, implement and embed innovative analytics technologies within their organisations. This involved developing partnerships, identifying how the technology can add value, engaging and collaborating with users and unlocking the wider urban benefits of our technology. Gareth has also led several successful Innovate UK applications.
Gareth led engagement with cities and innovators on the Flying High Challenge - exploring the opportunities and challenges associated with urban air mobility and drone use in cities.
As Foresight Manager Gareth explored what is changing in the world, identifying innovations and emerging business models that might impact TfL and London in the future. This included considering the impact of connected autonomous vehicles and drones and the opportunities and risks associated with lifestyle and economic trends. The aim was to ensure that both TfL and London are ready for a range of different futures. The role included a significant amount of public speaking at events and conferences.
As Principal Urban Design Advisor in TfL’s Urban Design Team, Gareth developed design and innovation strategies and advised on a diverse range of projects, from large regeneration masterplans to building, public realm and product design. Gareth managed a group of urban designers, architects and landscape architects. Major projects included: Future Streets Incubator Fund, Station Public Realm Design Guidance, The Garden Bridge, High Speed 2 rail, Old Oak and Park Royal, Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf Crossing, Silvertown Tunnel, Bank Station Capacity Upgrade.