After a long career as a senior civil servant at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Allan joined Digital Greenwich to help develop the Borough’s Smart City Strategy, which was launched on 22 October.  He brings his extensive knowledge of Whitehall, the European Commission and member states, particularly in relation to smart cities and innovation policy.  He has recently been conferred the title of Honorary Professor by the University of Birmingham, where he has close links with the Business School’s City-Region Economic Development Institute.

 His area of expertise includes understanding cities and urban transformation, understanding urban economies and environments, and policy aspects of Smart Cities.  He was responsible for the development of the Government’s strategy in this area, which was published in October 2013, and supported BSI’s strategy for developing a suite of smart city standards.