Charles was born in 1948 and studied in Britain, Germany and Italy and is tri-lingual. He founded COMEDIA, Europe's leading cultural planning consultancy, in 1978.

COMEDIA has worked in 35 countries including Canada, Japan, Australia, Bosnia, The Netherlands, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, Poland, South Africa, Finland, Sweden, the USA, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Croatia, New Zealand and Yemen. During that time it has undertaken several hundred projects concerned with revitalizing public, social and economic life through cultural activity; quality of life studies; cultural industry development projects and city and regional strategies.

Most recently COMEDIA has been involved in 6 major programmes. They concern an international study on creative cities and creative urban milieux; the social impact of the arts; the future of public libraries and the development of the idea of the informed citizen; the role of public parks and public space; the future of the non-profit sector; the viability and vitality of cities.

Charles has been responsible for over 180 assignments for national and local authorities and funding agencies both in the UK and abroad.

He is regarded as an international authority on city futures and the use of culture in city revitalization; cultural planning and heritage issues, strategic policy development, the cultural industries.

His book 'The Creative City: A toolkit for urban innovators' was published in May 2000 to widespread acclaim. He has lectured widely in Europe, the USA, Australia and Africa and has presented over 150 keynote addresses on a diversity of topics.

He has been appointed the 'Thinker in Residence' for Perth in early 2007 having previously been ‘thinker’ in South Australia advising the premier and state on greater Adelaide's future potential, 2003.

The Art of City Making has just appeared and is a follow up to 'The Creative City: A toolkit for urban innovators' which received widespread acclaim. He has lectured widely in Europe, the USA, Australia and Africa and has presented over 150 keynote addresses on a diversity of topics. His other recent publications include: 'Riding the Rapids: Urban Life in an Age of Complexity' (2004) and 'Culture @ the Crossroads: Culture and Cultural Institutions at the Beginning of the 21st Century' (with Marc Pachter, 2002).

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