Alumni Spotlight: Kirti's journey in innovation and public policy
Discover how alumnus Kirti Pathania transitioned from tech consulting to public policy after completing the MPA at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
About Kirti
A techie by background, Kirti started his career in 2010 after completing an MBA in India. After another five years working in business development in the Indian telecom industry, Kirti migrated to the UK in 2015. Since, he has worked as a technology consultant, using cloud platforms to build productivity across supply chains for businesses. Ultimately, Kirti realised he could leverage his skills towards public impact. Read Kirti's story below to learn why he decided to study the Master of Public Administration (MPA) at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.
How the MPA transformed Kirti’s approach to policy and practice
I was deeply passionate about government and policy as I felt these play a central role in shaping societal change. I was particularly concerned by climate change. Reading The Value of Everything by Mariana Mazzucato raised my interest in the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP). The IIPP Policy Studio MPA Scholarship also motivated me to prioritise the MPA in my list of applications.
The MPA provides a critical view of current economic thinking that underpins policy. This approach enabled me to think deeper about how policy should work. The course gave me a holistic view of the policy ecosystem beyond government and how to navigate bureaucracy around it. The course also offered me the autonomy to be entrepreneurial and use resources towards my own vision and motivations.
Modules that shaped a vision: Key learnings from the MPA
Various modules have deeply impacted my thinking:
- 'Politics, Power and Systems Change' encouraged me to think of mental models and reinforcing loops and forces in my environment.
- The concept of hacking was a great toolkit that the 'Creative Bureaucracies' module taught me to deal with situational constraints.
- 'Transformation by Design' is inherent in my current workplace's ways of working and so I felt quite familiar with settling into my job environment.
- 'Digital Transformation' exposed me to thinking about technology as Digital Public Infrastructure.
The MPA exposes you to new frameworks that you can apply at a practitioner level. I had worked as a tech consultant previously and was familiar with waterfall and agile methodologies of delivery. However, the programme taught me to ‘think agile’ which is prevalent in my current work and in government for rolling out policy. Strategic design, taught by Rowan Conway and Dan Hill, was another key competency I gained from the course that directly benefits me in my current work developing projects and managing stakeholders. Additionally, modules also complemented each other so lent larger perspectives. For example, User Centered Design was a concept that different modules approached from their own angles.
Gaining hands-on experience through the IIPP Placement programme
Another key moment in my studies was my decision to opt for the Placement module. I completed my placement with Digital Catapult, the UK’s digital innovation accelerator that helps tech startups grow and build networks in the innovation ecosystem. My project was to review Digital Catapult’s Theory of Change—a strategic toolkit to define the organisation’s impact on its environment—and recommend improvements to make the artefact more actionable. This experience has also been instrumental in my current work as I've gone onto host a team of the IIPP's students in a placement team the following year. The placement itself was an incredible experience for me and CDDO’s assurance team. They were very appreciative of the advice the students delivered. I learnt from the team as much as they learned from the placement.
I was also a part of the Cabinet Office through the July 2024 general elections in the UK. This was a particularly insightful experience for me to see how the machinery of government functions through such change whilst being at the Cabinet Office. Hosting an IIPP Placement team also meant the students got to experience the elections from this perspective.
Building public impact through digital transformation
My placement project was highly instrumental in enabling a positive start to my current work with the work with the Central Digital & Data Office (CDDO)—which was initially a part of the Cabinet Office in the UK Government—as a Senior Technology Advisor. The concepts I learnt from modules like 'Digital Transformation' and my engagements with lecturers, including David Eaves and Mike Bracken, shaped my thinking as a digital advisor. I started thinking in agile ways like I never did before. I found numerous guest lectures very special; Simon Sharpe’s lecture on climate and energy policy inspired me to think analytically about policy, and Damon Silvers' talks taught me about finding my ground within power dynamics.
I later moved to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology where I assure the delivery of digital and technology programmes across government, review programme plans, spending requests, team structures, delivery methods and everything related to delivery. After IIPP, I realised that the best way I can contribute to the public system is to utilise my digital skillsets. I was attracted to the prospect of working at the centre of government whilst strategically advising key decision makers.
The value of networking: Lessons from enrichment lectures and careers coaching
What's exciting about the IIPP is that it allows you to be entrepreneurial about learning. I organised an enrichment lecture with Professor Geoff Mulgan and Dr Kate Roll on social innovation to explore its tech as well as non-tech aspects. The lecturers and practitioners during the course were very open to sharing their networks for conversations and potential student projects. I regularly attended enrichment lectures at The Bartlett where I met some very interesting speakers.
To boost my employability, I attended UCL’s career coaching sessions where Careers Consultant Catherine Casale gave me and my peers advice to start networking early and seek information interviews with potential employers. I spent Term 2 speaking with lots of practitioners to hone in on what was to come after I graduated from the MPA. By the start of Term 3, I was ready to apply for jobs. My friends from the cohort are now working in a variety of roles in the public space, including design and innovation consultancies, civil service, civic sector and philanthropy, local councils, think tanks, multi lateral organisations etc.
In addition to careers coaching, I made the most of networking opportunities at the Institute. Greece’s Digital Minister, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, spoke passionately about the country's digital agenda for transforming public services at an enrichment lecture. I was able to pick his thoughts on delivery challenges after the talk. The Chief Secretary to Treasury Darren Jones also gave an inspiring talk on government bureaucracy and the work of select committees in the UK government. Mike Bracken, previously Executive Director of GDS, was our tutor for the Digital Transformation module, and his insights on user centered public services were invaluable. Each of these sessions were intimate and gave me opportunities to ask questions. UCL provides a great platform to connect with policy practitioners. For anyone considering studying the MPA, I would recommend articulating networking early during the programme.
A life-long learning mindset: How the MPA continues to inspire
There are many more powerful doses of knowledge that the course imparts. Another highlight the list of books I was given to take into my work beyond the course. I am gradually covering off the books on this list and enjoying feeling like the MPA has never really ended. It's been truly transformative!
Moving forward, I am focused on developing a case study where I deliver public outcomes via digital as a medium. Formulating my ideas is a long-drawn process and the course, alongside my experience in government, has definitely helped in distilling these ideas.
Overall, the MPA has helped me understand the government better. This was instrumental in me securing a job at the Central Digital & Data Office. It also opened up networking opportunities for me to meet with other students and alumni working in the policy space. I developed networks in government, think tanks, public consultancies, and local authorities. These connections are among the most valuable assets and opportunities the course has provided me. Additionally, the continued access to a world-class faculty for career guidance is a solid facility I can fall back on.
Discover more about Kirti and what he's currently working on via LinkedIn.
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