Annie Lewis
It's my job to ensure that people are kept at the heart of all the things we do at Torchbox. If we’re designing or building a website or an app our researchers keep everyone thinking about the people affected by it.
I've worked across the UK Government, starting in Defence - which taught me the value of doing research and analysis in a way that balances the best solution with timeliness. How that balance should be struck changes depending on the circumstance, but when lives are on the line, you can't waste time. As George Patton said, 'a good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week'. It's the best lesson I've ever learned, as a researcher.
I get a real kick out of seeing the impact of the research we do. I love making things better, more efficient, more fair, and working on things that improve people's lives. I'm obsessed with stories - I really love pulling all the bits and pieces together to find out something that really matters, so we can make things better, especially when it's tough to see the answer.
I'm really passionate about the environment and have spent a lot of time thinking about my impact upon society and the world - it's led me to think about everything from what I eat, what I buy (and how and where from), how I travel, how I support the people around me, and even where I work - which is why I'm here at Torchbox now.
