Prof. Dr. Mike Hardy CMG OBE
Professor of Intercultural Relations; Executive Director, the Institute for Community Cohesion, Coventry University, UK
Biography
Prof. Dr. Hardy CMG OBE is a Professor and Executive Director of The Institute for Community Cohesion (iCoCo) at Coventry University in the United Kingdom. Prior to joining Coventry University, Dr. Hardy served in the UK Government and European Commission, and was also the Head of Economics and Public Policy at Leeds Metropolitan University. Following overseas postings to cities including Cairo, Jerusalem,, and Jakarta, he was appointed to lead the British Council’s global program in intercultural dialogue.With his wealth of experience, and specific interest in diversity and cultural exchange, Dr. Hardy has been established as one of the leading experts in this field. He was recently appointed as lead expert for “Identity” for the Vodafone-sponsored new Future-Agenda Initiative. Dr. Hardy continues to contribute to national and international conferences, global discussions, and applied research in multiculturalism, intercultural dialogue, and diversity. In 2011, he was invited to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, and was appointed to act as special adviser to the Azerbaijan Minister of Culture and Tourism, Dr. Garayev Aboulfas Mursal Oglu, in September 2012.
Dr. Hardy was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2001, and was appointed a Companion of Honor of St. Michael and St George (CMG) in the Queen's Birthday Honors in 2010 for his work internationally in intercultural dialogue. Dr. Hardy has many publications to his name, including two collaborations: Future: Next Exit (2009) and Future Agenda- the World in 2020 (2010).
