Claire Cockerton

Claire Cockerton is a serial entrepreneur and innovation ecosystem architect who specialises in building and scaling tech clusters, accelerators and innovation infrastructure. As CEO and co-founder of Innovate Finance, she champions the UK's fintech sector, having previously co-created Level 39, the country's largest fintech accelerator in Canary Wharf, and led Plexal, the UK's largest innovation centre on the Olympic Park. Recognised in the top five most influential women in tech by Computer Weekly, Claire equips organisations with the strategic frameworks and practical insight needed to design thriving innovation ecosystems, foster entrepreneurial growth and unlock long-term competitive advantage through collaboration and infrastructure.

From co-creating Level 39, the UK's largest fintech accelerator in Canary Wharf, to leading Plexal on the Olympic Park, Claire Cockerton has spent her career building the physical and strategic infrastructure where innovation takes root. As founding CEO of Innovate Finance, she has championed the UK's fintech sector on the global stage, shaping policy, convening industry leaders and positioning Britain as a hub for financial technology. Her work spans the full lifecycle of innovation ecosystems, from designing accelerator programmes and smart city pilots to advising governments and corporates on how to foster entrepreneurial growth. Recognised in the top five most influential women in tech by Computer Weekly in 2018, Claire has proven that thriving innovation communities are built on collaboration, infrastructure and long-term vision.

Claire's expertise is grounded in decades of hands-on delivery. As CEO of ENTIQ, her innovation advisory and delivery firm, she has designed and launched programmes including Dassault Systèmes' 3D FinTech Challenge, Ernst & Young's first Cyber Accelerator Programme and Canary Wharf's Cognicity smart city tech pilot. She co-created the Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship and worked across all aspects of operations at Level 39, landing strategic innovation programmes that connected startups with corporate partners and investors. A serial entrepreneur herself, Claire has founded and successfully exited businesses in financial services, technology innovation and sustainable architecture. Her recent work includes exploring future innovation opportunities at the Wellcome Genome Campus, where she is contributing to plans that integrate research, venture creation and precision medicine within a world-leading science ecosystem.

Claire equips organisations and audiences with the frameworks and insight needed to design innovation ecosystems that deliver measurable impact. She speaks with clarity and conviction about the interplay between infrastructure, talent, policy and capital, drawing on real-world examples from her own ventures and the programmes she has built. Whether addressing corporate leaders seeking to embed innovation culture, policymakers shaping regional growth strategies or entrepreneurs navigating complex ecosystems, Claire offers practical guidance rooted in lived experience. Her presentations leave audiences with actionable strategies for fostering collaboration, scaling startups and unlocking competitive advantage through thoughtful ecosystem design. She inspires organisations to think beyond short-term wins and invest in the long-term conditions that enable innovation to flourish.