Sophie McKechnie

As part of the Health Lab and People Powered Results team at Nesta, I spent four years delivering co-produced change programmes, bringing the NHS, local authorities, businesses, civil society organisations and people with lived experience together and supporting them to find common goals and take action. Prior to working at Nesta, I worked for a national social housing provider, leading asset-based community development work that supported local residents to build power and push for changes that matter to them.

In my freelance work, I try to create the conditions for diverse groups to listen to, learn from each other and discover areas for greater collaboration and action. More and more, my work involves enabling collaboration and citizen participation to drive responses to the climate emergency.

I care about designing and delivering work that supports people to connect, take collective action and cross organisational and societal boundaries to build power for change. I believe that every perspective and experience holds value and insight. If systems and organisations can actively create the conditions to listen to and work alongside voices that are often excluded or dismissed in decision-making, we will be much more likely to find the solutions we so urgently need to address today’s complex and interwoven challenges.