Dr Maria Nelson

Maria leads our portfolio of Innovation and Sustainability initiatives, including the ATI Hub. 

Maria is the ATI’s Head of Innovation and Sustainability and joined us in 2022 to build out the ATI’s ecosystem innovation offerings. Maria developed and manages the ATI Hub, providing a platform for collaborative innovation and innovator support.

Maria joined the ATI from the Digital Catapult, where she was Director of Innovation Practice. Prior to building the Innovation Team at the Catapult, she was Innovation Programme Manager for collaborative digital innovation projects at Cisco UK. In addition to the innovation skillset she has honed for close to 15 years, Maria has a background in communications strategy and project delivery, as well as a PhD and experience in lecturing and publishing. This unique combination of skills allows her to drive adoption of new technologies, support emerging companies, and promote innovative ways of working within the aerospace sector.

Maria is on the board of Social Tech Trust, supporting social impact tech startups through programmes and investment. At the ATI and beyond, her passion is to lead innovation and change, fostering ecosystem collaboration and building a future where innovation and sustainability are integral to economic success.