Alice Charles is the Lead Cities, Infrastructure and Urban Services for the World Economic Forum covering several aspects of the Forum’s cities’ work streams. With over 19 years of experience accumulated from both public and private sectors, Alice is a leading expert in the areas of real estate, city and urban planning, construction, infrastructure, environment, and climate change to name a few. As such she is a proficient speaker who delivers exceptional presentations on the topics of urbanisation, climate change, environment, and infrastructure.
Very highly educated, Alice holds a BSc in Environmental Planning and a Postgraduate Diploma in Town and Country Planning from Queen’s University Belfast. Furthermore, she obtained an MBA from the University College Dublin and went on to gain a second master’s in Global Leadership through The World Economic Forum’s executive education program, which is taught in conjunction with some of the leading universities around the globe.
Beginning her career as a planner with GVA UK, Alice specialised in urban planning and went on to gain a Chartered Planner qualification. In 2011 Alice founded her consultancy firm Alice Charles Planning where she provided solutions to several urban planning issues. She then went on to serve as Parliamentary Assistant and Researcher at the Houses of the Oireachtas working closely with TD Catherine Murphy. Building on her success, Alice joined the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government as an EU Presidency Environmental Officer where she played an integral role in coordinating and managing EU legislation and policy-related dossiers. Appointed by the Minister for Finance in 2010, Alice served as an External Board Member on the Planning Advisory Committee for Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency until 2020.
Alice’s impressive resume demonstrates her in-depth knowledge of the topics she delivers, in her highly educational and informative presentations. As a highly sought-after speaker, she has given several speeches around the world at some of the most prestigious conferences and events, including the MIT Senseable City Lab 2019 and the Northern Ireland Women’s Leadership conference in 2018. In recognition of her profound contributions to global affairs and urban planning, Alice received the Irish Echo 40 Under 40 award. As a highly articulate and exceptionally professional speaker, Alice is a fantastic choice for corporate events.
We recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Alice Charles to discuss our future with smart cities.
