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Connected Places Catapult announces five new Managing Directors to drive strategic growth and innovation
[01.04.25] [London], Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for transport, the built environment, cities and local growth, announced today the appointment of five new Managing Directors. These senior roles will play a crucial role in advancing the organisation’s strategic growth and reinforcing its position as a leader in driving innovation.
The new Managing Directors, who bring a wealth of experience in technology, innovation, and leadership, will help shape the future of Connected Places Catapult by fostering collaborations across industry sectors, academia, and government.
The new Managing Directors are:
Sameer Savani – Transport, Managing Director – starting summer 2025
Sameer Savani is a highly skilled and forward-thinking leader with a strong focus on innovation. With a deep background in both academia and industry, he brings a unique blend of technical expertise, large scale people leadership, and strategic vision. As Vice President for the Global Technology Centre (GTC) in Bristol, Sameer has been instrumental in shaping the long-term strategy and organisational structure.
Sameer has built a culture of inclusivity, where diverse ideas are encouraged and valued. This approach fosters an environment where collaborative innovation thrives.
Under Sameer’s leadership, the GTC is a true example of how effective people-centric leadership can drive technological advancement and customer satisfaction.
Sameer is at the forefront of innovation in transport. During his tenure at the Aerospace and Defence Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), he launched the UK's first National Aerospace Technology Strategy, which was a key stepping stone towards establishing the Aerospace Technology Institute. This forward-thinking initiative laid the groundwork for the aerospace industry’s future innovation, ensuring that the UK remained competitive on the global stage.
“I’m relishing the opportunity to join Connected Places Catapult and humbled to be serving on its leadership team at such a crucial time both for the organisation, as well as the UK. Transport is the lifeblood of our economy, connecting people, goods, services, cultures and opportunities – in all places. Innovating in this sector has the power to unlock growth, boost productivity, and spread inclusive and sustainable prosperity for everyone – missions that are very close to my heart. I can’t wait to join the incredible team at Connected Places Catapult and help drive us forward faster and further with purpose and impact…and have fun while doing so!”Sameer Savani, Transport, Managing Director
Alan Welby – Built Environment and Local Growth Managing Director – starting 1st April 2025
Alan’s career has focussed on how innovation can transform cities and regions. He has worked across local and regional government, higher education, the private sector and in the European Commission. Before joining Connected Places Catapult in 2022, initially as Executive Director, Alan held positions as Director of Innovation at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership; Director of Research, Innovation, and Partnerships at Liverpool John Moores University; Executive Director of the Liverpool City Region LEP; and Executive Director of Strategy at One North East, the North East Regional Development Agency.
“I am very excited to take this new role to lead our Built Environment and Local Growth teams. I am eager to position Connected Places Catapult as the go-to partner in shaping the UK’s innovation landscape in cities and regions. We will be looking to support SMEs to innovate and grow, unlock innovation-led growth in regions and accelerate transformation in the built environment sector. Innovation is central to how place leaders and businesses can openly address new opportunities and barriers, secure investment and improve our cities and regions for the better.”Alan Welby, Built Environment and Local Growth Managing Director
Justin Anderson – Data and Digital Managing Director – starting 1st April 2025
Justin Anderson is a seasoned digital transformation leader with a distinguished track record at the intersection of technology, policy and innovation. As former Global Head of the Technology Centre of Excellence at KPMG International, he was responsible for defining global strategies on emerging technologies — including AI, IoT, cloud, and digital twins — across one of the world’s largest professional services firms. In this role, he led cross-border initiatives, advised C-suite clients, and positioned KPMG as a market leader in digital transformation.
He has since played a pivotal role in shaping the UK’s digital infrastructure and innovation landscape. As Director of the Digital Twin Hub, Justin led an Innovate UK Catapult Network initiative to establish a national data-sharing ecosystem, aligning cross-sector stakeholders around trusted, interoperable digital infrastructure. He also founded the Hypercat Alliance, which laid the foundations for the UK’s PAS 212 standard on IoT data interoperability, and co-founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence, bringing strategic insight to national tech policy.
Recognised for his ability to connect systems-level thinking with practical delivery, Justin brings deep expertise in catalysing collective innovation, influencing policy, and scaling digital infrastructure to deliver tangible societal impact.
“I’m honoured to be joining the Connected Places Catapult leadership team at such a pivotal moment for innovation in the UK. Data and digital technologies are the connective tissue of modern places — essential to unlocking system-wide transformation across transport, infrastructure and local growth. Our new Data & Digital business unit has a powerful opportunity to accelerate the development of UK-wide data-sharing infrastructure — laying the groundwork for intelligent systems that improve decision-making and enable more connected, inclusive, and sustainable places. Working closely with my fellow Managing Directors, I’m excited to help deliver integrated programmes with measurable impact — for people, prosperity, and the planet — and to enjoy the journey as we do so.”Justin Anderson – Data and Digital Managing Director
Catherine Cullen and Gayle Willis –Strategy, Marketing, Communications and Portfolio Managing Director – starting in June 2025
As an experienced and established senior level job share partnership, they bring a wealth of combined experience in impact, funding, strategy, communications and partnerships.
Their most recent shared role was as Executive Directors at Guy's & St Thomas' Foundation, one of the UK's largest place-based health foundations. There they had a broad remit for communications, marketing, digital, policy and influencing, and for four years led the Foundation’s work as an NHS charity. During their tenure, Catherine and Gayle helped shape and implement a transformational new organisational strategy and achieved a complete repositioning of the organisation through an ambitious new five brand portfolio. They built a multi-disciplinary department and established the Foundation's reputation at a national and international level for leading edge work on urban health.
Prior to joining the team, they have over 20 years’ experience driving impact and social change including senior positions at Shelter, Teenage Cancer Trust and Health Innovation South West (Catherine); Alzheimer's Society and Tommy's (Gayle).
“We're excited to be joining Connected Places Catapult at such a crucial time. There’s huge potential in putting innovation that’s good for people and the planet at the heart of economic growth. We’re looking forward to working with Erika Lewis and the whole team, to build on their impressive track record in innovation and collaboration with partners.”Catherine Cullen and Gayle Willis, Strategy, Marketing, Communications and Portfolio Managing Director
"We are thrilled to welcome Sameer, Alan, Justin, Catherine and Gayle to the Connected Places Catapult leadership team. Each individual brings a unique set of skills, experiences, and a proven track record of success in driving innovation within their respective fields. We are confident that their leadership will strengthen our ability to deliver on our vision for better connected places."Erika Lewis, Chief Executive Officer at Connected Places Catapult
Kate Ross, Chief Transformation Officer will be interim Transport Managing Director until Sameer’s arrival in summer 2025.
