“THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF AGEING”

A MASTER CLASS RELATED TO AGE-FRIENDLY CITIES IN TWO PARTS.

Mr Colin Williams

Director of Transformation, Newcastle City Council

A qualified social worker, Colin had nearly 20 years experience as a frontline practitioner before moving on to become an operational manager of adult social care services at both frontline and executive level.

In 2001 he left local government to work in the NHS and then for the Department of Health in a variety of policy development and implementation roles. In 2008 he joined Newcastle City Council to lead the reform of adult social care services in the city, focusing particularly on the introduction of personalization.

Colin is now Director of Transformation with the Council’s Adult and Culture Services Directorate. He is the lead Director for an ongoing and substantial change programme within Adult Services, manages a number of operational services, and leads for the Council as a whole on partnership arrangements concerned with health and wellbeing. Colin has also held a number of voluntary roles during his career ranging from senior elected positions within the trade union movement to membership of the management board of a local voluntary organization and of a school governing body.