Stevie McGowan
Creative Design Lead, Centre for Civic Innovation
Stephen McGowan leads The Centre for Civic Innovation, a pioneering citizen-centred design team within Glasgow City Council, responsible for establishing a design-led approach to the understanding of societal shifts and civic experiences within the city.
The CCI combines design thinking, research and data science to understand and help solve complex societal problems that are difficult to articulate, challenging to solve and have no single or easy answer.
The team lead new ways of working across the council; fostering a collaborative approach which involves citizens throughout their design process from initial research to co-designing solutions.
Their social innovation work has recently been recognised by Bloomberg Philanthropies as one of 50 Champion Cities worldwide in using design to unleashing a neighbourhood-level participatory approach to community wellbeing in Glasgow.
Stephen graduated in Graphic Design before accepting a role in a tech innovation company focussed on developing ground-breaking innovative solutions, systems design, UX and UI (before that had a name!).
He then moved into the public sector and has worked in a number of lead roles across local government with a track record of developing teams that deliver award winning, people focussed solutions.
He believes passionately that design can be used as a driver for change, empowering people to co-design a better world for the common good.