Project Success, Leadership, Innovation Lift-Off and other Best Practices from the World of Science: An Interview with Dr. Colin Carlile
In this second GBPG interview, GBPG’s Group Chairman Malcolm De Silva interviews former European Spallation Source General Director Colin Carlile on the management strategies that led to his successful leadership of highly complex innovative projects and what key lessons the development world can learn from science. Malcolm is a global international development expert. He has over 25 years of experience in legal, contracting and procurement advising governments, international organizations and development entities in development innovation, reform and optimization. Uniquely he has held staff posts with the European Space Agency, the European Spallation Source, Mercy Corps, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the European Southern Observatory and the Asian Development Bank. He is the founder of Global Best Practice Group, where his consultancy portfolio includes national governments, international organizations, multilateral banks, iNGOs and bilateral bodies, with a particular focus on increasing performance and transparency through regulatory and internal business process reform, operational & policy development, strategic use of E-procurement and relevant capacity building. He considers Colin to be one of the best leaders he has encountered in his career and a role model in how to manage an organization for success. GBPG: The Global Best Practice Group has the honour to welcome Dr Colin Carlile to this second GBPG interview. Colin, we would like to get your candid thoughts on global best practices affecting the globe, international organisations, NGOs and the corporate world. We also would like to gain an insight into the very real operational experiences you have had over your illustrious career. Not only have you been the Director General of the European Spallation Source, a global Blue Riband international scientific research organisation, which will generate neutrons for materials research, you have also been the Director of the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL) international research centre in Grenoble. Furthermore, you were awarded the Royal Swedish Order of the Polar Star by the King of Sweden in 2012, an award that dates back to 1748. I would like to highlight two illustrious people that have also been awarded the Polar Star. One by the name of Henri Poincaré, famous for the Poincaré conjecture. But even more importantly, you are accompanied by Ernest Shackleton, one of the greatest explorers ever. In doing some research on your background as a successful scientist at the global level, merging science with key principles of management, I have to say that you are an adventurer who has initiated the building of a massive scientific project on a green field site, taking science with neutrons to another level at the Europeans Spallation Source. Colin Carlile: Well Malcolm, let me just say thank you for your welcome. I vaguely recognise myself in what you have just described. I’ve had a long career and I’ve enjoyed it. I began around 50 years ago without really knowing where I was going. I just followed my nose, and one thing led to another, to the extent that here I am now in Lund in southern Sweden having spent seven years at the European Spallation Source. More recently, 9 years ago when I retired I became a student (once again!), this time round in astronomy. Without the drive demanded by the ESS I decided, well, I need something to exercise my brain, which by the way is the most important best practice, referring to GBPG, so I embarked upon a Master course in Astrophysics here in Lund. It was quite a shock to get used to studying again, taking exams and learning new methods, but I stuck in and after 8 years I succeeded. It was very satisfying. So, thanks for inviting me to this interview. I am really pleased to be associated with the Global Best Practice Group. I think you’ve got great goals and energy and drive, and I think that you will succeed in a world which needs an injection of equality in my view, making sure that the human beings on this planet have got an equal chance. That’s very idealistic of course, but I am convinced that that is what we should be aiming for with GBPG, and so I strongly support what you are doing. GBPG: So maybe you can start by providing some background about how you managed to create the ESS. What are your feelings and special thoughts about those times, was it an exciting time? Colin Carlile: It was certainly an exciting time! You were part of it Malcolm. I had been Director of the ILL in Grenoble, which has been the world’s leading neutron sources for four decades and still is and will remain that way for some years. I was keen to get the essential investment needed for ILL to maintain that position, so I decided to target a number of different countries to try to attract them as new member states. Sweden was one of them. We had a couple of Roadshows to which Sweden and other countries turned up. More partners would enable us to invest in enhancing our scientific facilities. These Roadshows were quite a success. Following this event Sweden sent a delegation to the ILL. Fact-finding! I met there for the first time Allan Larsson, a well-respected former Finance Minister of Sweden. He was an unusual guy, especially for a politician! He was someone who asked questions and expected answers. Politicians normally just want to fill the room with their own ego. But Allan wasn’t like that. He had his list of questions and I thought to myself: this is rather unusual. The visit lasted a day and a half and we eventually succeeded in getting Sweden as a partner. But it became clear that becoming a scientific member of ILL was not their only goal. They were contemplating a bid for the siting of ESS! As they were leaving, I told Allan that my contract would end in 18 months so, if they needed any help, to let me know. The ESS is a €2 billion scientific infrastructure project; it is small science but with big instruments.
