Sam Markey is Ecosystem Director for Place Leadership at Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport and place leadership. With oversight of Connected Places Catapult’s strategic investments, partnerships and programmes with places across the UK, Sam is responsible for ensuring the organisation delivers on its’ mission to connect people, businesses and communities to a future of sustainable growth and prosperity. Before joining Connected Places (then Future Cities) Catapult in May 2016, Sam was a senior policy and implementation advisor in the UK Government Cabinet Office, focused on public service reform, policy innovation, and the application of emerging technologies to tackle policy challenges. Sam started his career in local government, for the London Borough of Barnet where he was responsible for creating the original and infamous ‘Barnet Graph of Doom’ which laid out the budget challenge facing local government from falling central grants and rising demand. On Twitter he is @SamMarkey.