In this episode, Dr. Peter Thompson, Chief Executive of the National Physical Laboratory, explains that measurement is the invisible infrastructure of the modern world, and discusses NPL’s role in maintaining it.
Peter reflects on leading a government-owned organisation that must operate as a business, win contracts on merit, demonstrate impact from public money, and sustain the long-term scientific capability that makes its role possible. He describes how he has reoriented NPL from a culture of excellent science for its own sake towards one that is externally focused on what society, industry and government need.
The conversation explores NPL’s purpose to act as the connective tissue between scientific expertise and the economy, using its ultimate certainty of measurements to help companies innovate beyond that and scale their businesses. They also discuss Peter’s approach to leadership in a rapidly changing society: what got us here won’t necessarily get us there, so what do we need to do now?
Listen here and on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Supported by Norman Broadbent: https://www.normanbroadbent.com/
Peter Thompson