Mr Collard profile

Paul Collard is the chief executive of Creativity, Culture and Education, the non-government and not-for-profit organisation responsible for delivering the UK Government’s major creative and educational programs for young people in England.

He has 25 years experience working in the arts and is an expert in delivering programs that use creativity and culture as drivers of social and economic change, most notably in the north east of England and in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Paul has a particular focus on unlocking the creative potential of children and young people to prepare them for success in the creative economy of the 21st century. There is currently significant international interest in this and, as a result, Paul is increasingly involved in work across the globe.

For instance, he is currently advising the City of Amsterdam on a redesign of its cultural programs for young people, managing a European Union program on the training of artists to work in schools with partners in Austria, Holland and Sweden, and has represented the UK Government on the European Union Committee on Culture and Education.

Other positions Paul has held include general manager at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, deputy controller of the British Film Institute in London, director of the UK Year of Visual Arts in the north east of England and director of the International Festival of Arts and Ideas in Connecticut, USA.