Clélia Cothier
Programme Manager
Pronouns: She/Her
Clélia is a Programme Manager at Challenge Works. She brings 10 years of cross-sector innovation experience and rigorous programme management. She works on several programmes and strategic initiatives across the Tech Frontiers and Cities & Societies portfolios and on improving internal processes across programmes, such as due diligence. Some of the recent programmes she has been working on include the UK Space Agency’s Aqualunar Challenge, the Manchester Prize on AI, the Metascience Novelty Indicators Challenge and the development of our space portfolio. She also serves as an innovation advisor for Cities & Societies initiatives, by facilitating strategic workshops for Bloomberg European i-teams in the UK, and acting as a city coach for the 26/27 cohort of Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative. Clélia specialises in cross-sector collaboration, bridging government, business, and civil society, having worked in all three sectors to leverage emerging technologies for public purpose. She connects strategic design with operational execution across various areas such as space systems, urban resilience and social innovation. She also brings non-profit governance experience as a board member in organisations focusing on civic engagement, startup acceleration and youth STEM organisations. Prior to Challenge Works, Clélia served as an Advisor to the Ambassador for Digital Affairs within the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focusing on Digital Public Infrastructures and child online protection. As an Impact Canada Fellow, she led the development of the Canadian Space Agency’s first challenge prize. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Development Studies from McGill University and an MPA from the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.