Geoff Mulgan, CEO of Nesta

I first got involved in social action when I was 12 or 13 mainly prompted by being angry, and quickly became an activist, annoyed by hypocrisy and unfairness of all kinds. A lot of social change is driven by that kind of anger — but I’ve also since learnt to channel that energy into creating things. I was lucky in my upbringing to be surrounded by people who just took it for granted that to be fully human meant doing things for others as well as for yourself and not being stuck in the mindset of only one field or sector.

It is a bit sad to be only self-regarding and self-absorbed and a bit boring just to focus on getting rich or being famous all of which end up meaning that you’re less alive. My motivations aren’t primarily to do with altruism particularly, more a sense that being fully human means getting involved in different things, being open to stimulation, giving as well as taking.

Geoff Mulgan, CEO of Nesta