Vasant Chari
Joyful innovation, delivery and strategy leader
I'm Vasant Chari, an innovation, delivery and strategy leader. I work at the intersection of policy, design and technology adoption in cities, transport and local government.
I currently lead a directorate at Connected Places Catapult, the UK's innovation accelerator for cities and transport. Previously, I led the UK government's Policy Lab, bringing people-centred and experimental methods to policy making.
🤖 Made with AI — so please give some grace to the facts and style
Time spent making this website
Me prompting
10 mins
Claude doing its work
21 mins
Career highlights
- Led commercial programmes at Connected Places Catapult in rail, transport accessibility and business growth strategy, including leading Design to Deliver — a cross-Catapult programme helping SMEs use design to tackle sustainability challenges
- Led the team supporting Andrea Leadsom MP to deliver The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days (2021) — setting the framework for Family Hub early years pilots now operating across the country
- Led the UK government's Policy Lab — my work was referenced in Mitchell Weiss's "We the Possibility" (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021). Had the honour of working with a vast range of policy reformers, including Andrea Siodmok, with whom we created the 'Styles of Government Action' and 'Government as a System' frameworks.
- Convened the UK's first Active Travel Summit and published a routemap for sector change (2021)
- Founding trustee of Class 13 since 2019, a charity working with teachers to address systemic racism in schools
- Board member of Public Voice, a community interest company running Healthwatch services across London
- Volunteered with Parikrma Humanity Foundation in Bangalore (2015-16), developing their approach to alumni development and soft skills
- Named in Apolitical's 100 most influential young people in government (2018)
Organisations I've worked with
Writing
Currently
Will currently chew your ear off about:
AI experiments
This website was built with AI assistance - I'm experimenting with how technology can help us work differently.
Other experiments:
- UK devolution and growth intelligence map (geocities style)