Former academic (Professor of Cultural Policy) in Australia and the UK now working and writing in the field of implications of the digital environment for the cultural and creative sectors. Author of many publications including, most recently 'Culturelinks: Cultural Networks and Cultural Policy in the Digital Age'(http://independent.academia.edu/ColinMercer/Papers/810684/Culturelinks_Cultural_Networks_and_Cultural_Policy_in_the_Digital_Age ) and, for the European Commission, a discussion paper on 'Which Skills for Culture in a Globalised and Digitised World?' (http://culture-forum-2011.ec.europa.eu/files/Panel-2-Issue-Paper-Skills-for-culture-European-Culture-Forum-2011.pdf).