Manijeh Verghese (she/ her) is the CEO of Open City, a charity whose mission is to make cities more open, accessible and equitable. Interested in widening participation in the making of our built environment, she is also one of the Mayor of London’s Design Advocates.

She is an External Examiner at The Bartlett, UCL; a Trustee of the Architecture Foundation and an Advisory Board member of The DisOrdinary Architecture Project. She has previously worked at the Architectural Association as Head of Public Engagement; taught design studios and workshops across the UK and internationally; and led curatorial projects including the 2021 British Pavilion at the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, and the South Asia Gallery at the Manchester Museum in partnership with the British Museum.