Dr. Hilary Cottam OBE was a fellow in the New Practice Lab at New America. Cottam works with communities and governments around the world to design collaborative, affordable solutions to big social challenges. Her immersive methods have emerged new policy issues and practical innovations include new approaches to employment, care, ageing and chronic health conditions. Transformation is achieved through an emphasis on human relationships supported by technology.
Cottam’s book Radical Help on the future of welfare was published to widespread acclaim in June 2018 by Little Brown UK. Her TED talk on the future of social systems has had over 850,000 views.
Cottam is an honorary professor at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. She has been recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader and was named UK Designer of the Year in 2005 for her work pioneering social design. She was awarded an OBE in 2019 for services to the welfare state.