Stian Westlake is Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Previously, he served as Chief Executive of the Royal Statistical Society, Executive Director of Policy and Research at Nesta, adviser to three UK science ministers, and as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Stian’s research interests include the economics and politics of innovation, research, and technology. He is a regular commentator on science and innovation policy, and co-author of two books about intangible capital, ‘Restarting the Future: How to Fix the Intangible Economy’ and ‘Capitalism Without Capital: The Rise of the Intangible Economy’.

He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, an honorary fellow of the Market Research Society, and a trustee of the Mohn Westlake Foundation and of the Two Magpies Fund.