Orsola joined the ODI in 2015 and is part of the Senior Leadership Team.
As Head of Innovation, she works with public and private sector businesses and organisations to help them gain value through data using different innovation methods and approaches.
Orsola and her team add in-depth expertise to the ODI’s activities on topics including sector-wide digital transformations, innovation challenges, open innovation programmes, training for early-stage startups and innovating with data.
Having gained extensive experience working with startups, Orsola also advises and mentors early stage businesses on their value proposition, product development and business models.
Orsola is a regular speaker at external events about innovation, digital transformation, business design, data-driven business models, growing women’s leadership in tech and beyond, as well as being part of judging panels for startup competitions and awards.
Prior to her role at the Open Data Institute, she spent a number of years in the private sector, working with companies in retail and built environment, won a social enterprise award from UnLtd and co-founded a platform that promotes civic engagement and collaborative urbanism.
A passionate problem-solver, Orsola believes in using data and technologies to drive innovation and build great products that help solve real challenges.
She holds a BS in Economics and Management and an MA in Design Studies from Central Saint Martins – University of the Arts London.
Inspirational quotes
“Do the right things, rather than worrying about doing things right.”
“If you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re in the wrong room.”
Connections
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Blog 20/08/2021
Mapping data in the UK government: innovation
- Data infrastructure
- Innovation
- Policy
- Dr Mahlet (Milly) Zimeta
- Gavin Freeguard
- Jeni Tennison
- Orsola De Marco
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Blog, Videos 12/07/2021
Solving complex challenges by widening access to data: perspectives from a roundtable discussion
- Banking and finance
- Data publishing and use
- Health and physical activity
- Innovation
- Startups
- Orsola De Marco
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Blog 15/06/2021
Encouraging innovation through data access initiatives
- Banking and finance
- Data publishing and use
- Health and physical activity
- Innovation
- Startups
- Josh D'Addario
- Orsola De Marco
- Timothy Hill
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Talk, Workshop
Data Ecosystems and Innovation Roundtable Wed, 07 Jul 2021, 10:30 Online In this roundtable event on 7th July 2021 from 10.30am to 12pm we will discuss the benefits and challenges of both “bottom-up” and “top-down” approaches to data access initiatives.
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Blog, News 18/05/2021
New work programme for ODI as government published its response to National Data Strategy consultation
- Data infrastructure
- Data publishing and use
- Innovation
- Policy
- Skills and literacy
- Deborah Yates
- Dr Dave Tarrant
- Dr Mahlet (Milly) Zimeta
- Jack Hardinges
- Jeni Tennison
- Olivier Thereaux
- Orsola De Marco
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Blog 05/05/2021
How can regulators tackle challenges through innovative uses of data?
- Data infrastructure
- Innovation
- Policy
- Alan Walker
- Deborah Yates
- Dr Mahlet (Milly) Zimeta
- Jeni Tennison
- Josh D'Addario
- Olivier Thereaux
- Orsola De Marco
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Blog, News 15/04/2021
From climate change to coronavirus: the artists and startups using data to tackle misinformation challenge
- Arts, culture and heritage
- Covid-19
- Startups
- Weather, energy and environment
- Orsola De Marco
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Case study, Case study [Luminate] 28/01/2021
Case study: Wellcome data science challenge
- Health and physical activity
- Orsola De Marco
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Blog 25/11/2020
The UK National Data Strategy 2020: engaging for resilience
- Dr Mahlet (Milly) Zimeta
- Fionntán O'Donnell
- Jack Hardinges
- Leigh Dodds
- Olivier Thereaux
- Orsola De Marco
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Blog, News 25/11/2020
Applications open: funding for startups and artists to tackle misinformation about COVID-19
- Arts, culture and heritage
- Covid-19
- Data ethics and privacy
- Startups
- Orsola De Marco
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ODI project
MediaFutures: an innovation hub to support media's innovative and responsible use of data
- Arts, culture and heritage
- Orsola De Marco
- Tara Lee
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Blog 20/11/2020
The UK National Data Strategy 2020: innovation with impact
- Alan Walker
- Dr Mahlet (Milly) Zimeta
- Josh D'Addario
- Orsola De Marco
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Blog 09/11/2020
Activating sector change: what we’ve learnt from OpenActive
- Data publishing and use
- Health and physical activity
- Orsola De Marco
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Case study, Case study [Luminate] 18/12/2019
Data Pitch (case study)
- Orsola De Marco
-
ODI project
R&D: The value of data sharing in the private sector
- Data publishing and use
- Innovation
- Startups
- Annalisa Eichholzer
- James Maddison
- Josh D'Addario
- Miranda Marcus
- Orsola De Marco
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Service
Opportunities for startups- Startups
- Orsola De Marco
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Service
Organisations looking to work with startups- Innovation
- Startups
- Orsola De Marco
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Service
Startups & fostering innovation- Agriculture and food
- Emerging tech and AI
- Open standards and open APIs
- Retail and consumer
- Startups
- Orsola De Marco
- Tara Lee
-
ODI project
Malaysia: Using startups to build innovation
- Agriculture and food
- Cities
- Startups
- Orsola De Marco
-
ODI project
Data Pitch: a Europe-wide data accelerator
- Innovation
- Startups
- Orsola De Marco