I am delighted to announce the appointment of Colin Christopher Bennett as the new Chief Executive at autism.west midlands effective on the 4th January 2010.  Colin brings a wealth of experience to the role at a crucial time for the organisation, especially now that the Autism Act has become law, providing the prospect of very significant opportunities for future growth.

Colin has had some thirty years of top-level executive leadership within private, public, charitable and third sector organisations, as well as holding a number of advisory and non-executive positions.  He is a specialist in business and strategic development, partnering and commissioning, service delivery, financial management and planning. His career has spanned international energy through to local and central government including national healthcare, emergency services, environment, education and the not-for-profit sector in membership and charitable organisations. The success of his work has been recognised at the very highest level by national and local government and he has achieved national awards for performance and leadership across a number of sectors including the NHS.

Colin’s career started with Shell International in 1977. He has gone on to hold various posts across the worldwide energy sector, culminating some twenty years later as Business Services Director for Mobil Gas Marketing and Mobil North Sea Limited  In 2000 he left the private sector to work for local and central government where he held a number of senior executive positions including Chief Operating Officer at Northamptonshire County Council and Chief Executive at the UK Chief Fire Officers Association and Chief Executive at the Benenden Healthcare Society. Most recently he has been working in the charitable, national education and health sectors where, amongst other assignments, he oversaw the transformation of the former national chest hospital group under new NHS commissioning and third sector reforms and was also invited to conduct an independent review of a prominent national educational service organisation.

The Trustees very much welcome Colin’s very timely arrival and join everyone involved with autism.west midlands in wishing him every success in his new role.

David Ramsay
Chair
autism.west midlands
4th January 2010