Mili Tharakan

As a member of the Materials and Manufacturing team at Innovate UK Business Connect, I serve as the Knowledge Transfer Manager for Smart Materials and Textiles. I have a background in Textiles, and a focus on Smart Textiles and Innovation. Having lived and worked in different countries I thrive on bringing together diverse people, cultures, sectors, and ideas to foster creativity and innovation.

Over the years, my career has taken me across the full innovation lifecycle—from conducting early-stage research to developing and launching market-ready products. This end-to-end experience has given me an understanding of the challenges businesses face at each stage of development and the support they need to succeed.

My wide-ranging experience allows me to provide support to businesses to innovate confidently while addressing sustainability and other industry challenges in materials and manufacturing.