Perago has appointed Omar Idris as its new Head of Service Design, strengthening its public and service design capability as the organisation continues to support transformation across public services in Wales and beyond.
Omar will be responsible for leading and delivering design-led change across complex public and social systems, working with Perago’s clients and partners to develop practical, place-based approaches to service improvement. His role will focus on helping organisations make change real, stay close to people and services, and build the conditions for better public outcomes.
He joins Perago from Nesta, where he spent several years working across a wide range of national and local programmes, including place-based family support, early years and test-and-learn approaches in central government. Across this work, Omar built a reputation for working effectively in complex, messy environments, using design to navigate uncertainty, balance ambition with humility, and deliver real impact for real people.
Based in Swansea, Omar is particularly passionate about Wales' potential to act as a testbed for radical, innovative public service design. He has long championed the strength of the growing public and service design community in Wales and is looking forward to contributing to its continued development through his work at Perago.
Omar said:
“Stepping into this new year feels like a new chapter for me. After an incredible and formative time at Nesta, I’m excited to be focusing closer to home in Wales and joining Cory Hughes and the team at Perago.
“I care deeply about public and service design that is grounded in place, practical in delivery and focused on helping people and organisations make change that really matters. Wales has all the right ingredients to do this well, and I’m looking forward to getting properly stuck in.”
Cory Hughes, Director of Strategic Design at Perago, added:
“We’re really pleased to welcome Omar to Perago. He brings more than a decade of experience leading design-led change across some of the most complex parts of the public and social sector, and a way of working that fits perfectly with how we approach transformation.
“Omar’s commitment to staying close to people and services, while holding both ambition and humility, will be invaluable as we continue to support organisations to improve public services and deliver better outcomes for people, organisations and places.”
