With a background in innovation management, strategic communications and programme management, Dr Maria Nelson is the Director of Innovation Practice at Digital Catapult.

With her team, Maria runs a portfolio of innovation and acceleration programmes that help small companies grow, large companies innovate and innovation ecosystems flourish. She has worked with numerous startups and multinational corporate partners.

Passionate about fostering collaboration between bright minds from industry, startups and academia, she believes innovation thrives where three intentions combine: to solve real-world problems, to turn ambitions into reality, and to believe in your direction of travel one step at a time.