Colin recently retired as Chief Executive of Social Enterprise NI, having led the organisation for ten years. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in raising awareness of the social economy model across government, business, and community sectors, helping to position social enterprises as a vital contributor to Northern Ireland’s economy. Colin also represented the sector on the Minister for the Economy’s Vision Engagement Forum, ensuring that the voice of the social economy was reflected in strategic economic discussions.
In 2020, Colin was appointed by the Minister of Finance to the reconstituted Procurement Board, where he served as a sectoral expert. In this role, he contributed to the development and implementation of public procurement policy, including advancing the integration of social value considerations through Public Procurement Note (PPN) 01/21.
Throughout his career, Colin has built an extensive network spanning the public, private, voluntary, and educational sectors. He has developed strong relationships across the political spectrum and served as Secretariat to the All-Party Group on Social Enterprise, helping to strengthen engagement between policymakers and the social enterprise sector.
