B&W

Colour

2023

Data is a foundational part of our economy, society and environment. I’ve spent decades helping make our data infrastructure useful for everyone: creating and leading for- and non-profit businesses, bringing together the web, finance, policy, data, science, the environment, art and media.

This has led to the creation of dozens of companies, the employment of hundreds of people, and £100Ms in measurable impact (including $137M in four years at the ODI) and helping to stimulate $multi-billion markets through the development of regulated instruments such as the Open Banking Standard.

Working together, we have tackled complex challenges ranging from climate change to government transparency, digital supply chains to open banking, open energy to data art. Our Dgen Constellation projects include the internationalisation of Open Finance, national data strategies, and making data work harder to deliver net zero via IcebreakerOne: which launched at Davos in 2020 and delivered over $5M in innovation funding in its first year.

Photos above for conference/event use. Click for full resolution. CC-BY-SA Tiana Lea

Gavin helps solve complex, multidisciplinary, collective-action challenges. He was the Open Data Institute’s founding CEO, working with Sir Nigel Shadbolt and Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Under his leadership it unlocked over $100M of direct economic impact, incubated over 50 companies, launched franchises across 20 countries, trained 10,000 people, and delivered over $40M impact in under three years.

At the request of HM Treasury, he co-chaired the development of the Open Banking Standard, laying the foundations for regulation and catalysing international innovation. At the request of the Dept. Business & Trade he co-chaired the UK Smart Data Council. He has served on the Ministry of Justice Data, Science & Evidence Board; the Smart London Board; and as advisor to the Financial Conduct Authority on Open Finance.

He has been creating businesses for over 25 years, leading projects with organisations including Arup, Cap Gemini and the World Bank. Previous ventures include AMEE (organising the world’s environmental data, raising over $10M from leading VCs, sold 2015); Consolidated Independent (the world’s leading digital music distributor, first to deliver to iTunes); award-winning streaming company Tornado Productions (sold 2003); and Virgin Net as employee #5 in 1995.

At Jodrell Bank Radio Observatory, Gavin helped develop systems to map and interpret the universe. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, has degrees in Astronomy and Electronic Music, and has created courses and lectured in Engineering and Music at Glasgow University. He converted a century-old ship to live aboard and built a cooperative historic harbour on the Thames.