Dr Andy Williamson
Thinker, writer and changemaker
Andy is a Scottish-based architect for democracy and a passionate advocate for stronger governance. Described as a global leader in democratic innovation and civic participation, particularly around the intersection of digital, parliaments and citizens, he works with senior management, government ministers, parliamentarians, civil servants and citizens. Andy supports organisations to transform their culture and processes to become more creative, open, transparent and effective.
Andy is well informed, well connected and extremely enthusiastic, which he has a talent for conveying to his audience. I come away from any conversation or talk completely fired up and ready for action.
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Dr Andy Williamson
What I do
I bring extensive experience in participatory research, political campaigning, digital communication, and social and tech innovation. I work with large corporates (such as Volvo and numerous banks), governments and parliaments around the world (including Brazil, Chile, Moldova, Serbia, UK, US and the European Parliament) and local government and civil society groups (in Sweden, the UK, Germany, New Zealand and Australia).
Globally, my work includes the United Nations, Inter-parliamentary Union and the Council of Europe. A skilled facilitator, I have been hailed as an engaging public speaker and as a well-known writer and commentator for a wide range of media, including the Guardian, BBC, Al Jazeera and TedX.
I hold a PhD in digital democracy from Monash University, Melbourne, have held senior leadership and governance positions in the private, public and charity sectors and I'm a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.. Alongside democracy and innovation, I'm an active creative and writer of prose and poetry, with a number of published volumes.
- Democratic and social innovation
- Open government/parliament and strategies for parliamentary openness
- Citizen engagement and participation
- Facilitation, teaching and workshop delivery
- Writing and public speaking
- Research, evaluation and supervision
- Management, leadership and governance
Dr Andy Williamson
Ask me to speak or write for you
I’d love to support and contribute to your conference, workshop or event by talking about what I know, or to write something for your publication.
I can talk to your audience about: Citizen engagement and democratic reform;
Digital democracy, how people are using it and what it means; Democratic innovation and the potential for digital transformation; Civic tech; Digital campaigns, whether that’s what happened in the last election or what you could do in the next; Open government, open parliaments; and Open policy and open data.
I’ve spoken at TEDx, give keynotes at global conferences, in parliaments and with audiences ranging from academics and civil society groups to the general public. I’ve appeared on BBC Newsnight, BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour, Sky News, Al Jazeera, PBS and Radio New Zealand National. And I’ve spoken at events on every continent except Antarctica (penguins aren’t that into democracy).
If your audience wants a no nonsense, plain speaking take on democratic innovation or a reflexive view on the state of public engagement, campaigning or the impact of digital, then I’d be delighted to speak at your event or radio TV, radio or online show.
I write for a wide range of publications too. From The Guardian to academic journals, policy and topical blogs and a range of newspapers and magazines, such as The House magazine, Political Insight and International Affairs from Chatham House.
I regularly design, host and facilitate workshops, events and to chair interactive panels. These range from multi-day immersive workshops to short sessions with audiences from the public to parliamentarians.
If you have a media or event enquiry, just drop me a line and we can talk.
Dr Andy Williamson
Latest publications
This is a very brief list of recent or popular publications. Contact me if you're looking for something in particular or would like a full list.
- Williamson, A. (2018). World e-Parliament Report 2018. Inter-Parliamentary Union, Geneva
- Williamson, A. (2016). World e-Parliament Report 2016. Inter-Parliamentary Union, Geneva [EN, FR, SP].
- Williamson, A. (2015). Taking Democracy from Arrogance to Intimacy. TedX Rhodes
- Williamson, A. (2015). Embedding Digital Advantage: A Five-Stage Maturity Model for Digital Communities. Journal of Community Informatics. 11(2).
- Williamson, A. (2015). Shining a new light on democracy. Open Thoughts, Open University of Catalonia
- Williamson, A. (2015). Digital didn’t win it, but it did shape the campaign. Britain Votes. Hansard Society.
- Williamson, A. (2015). Implementing the recommendations of the Digital Democracy Commission: Where to now? The Constitution Unit Blog, UCL.
- Gibson, R.K., Williamson, A. & Römmele, A. (2014). Introduction: Chasing the Digital Wave: International Perspectives on the Growth of Online Campaigning: Special Issue. Journal of IT and Politics.
- Williamson, A. & Sande, M. (2014). From arrogance to intimacy: A handbook for active democracies. Gothenburg
- Williamson, A. (2013). Social Media Guidelines for Parliaments. Geneva; Inter-parliamentary Union
- Gibson, R.K., Williamson, A. & Ward, S. (Eds.) (2010). The internet and the 2010 Election: Putting the small 'p' back in politics. London: Hansard Society.
- Williamson, A. & DeSouza, R. (Eds.). (2008). Researching with communities. Auckland, NZ: Muddy Creek Press.
