About Colin Reid

My Journey

I grew up in Northern Ireland, surrounded by a natural landscape that would shape the rest of my life. The rocky foreshores, hillside quarries, and chalky Antrim coast became my classroom—a perfect outdoor laboratory for a boy with an insatiable curiosity about the natural world. I spent my teenage years foraging for fossils and crystals, searching for flints, and developing a passion for collecting that would eventually become my career.

My museum journey began as a volunteer, first at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, where I had the privilege of editing the weekly Scientific Alert Bulletin, and later at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, cataloguing the geological collections. These early experiences taught me that museums weren't just repositories of objects—they were places where stories came alive and where the past could speak directly to the present.

In 1987, I took my first professional role as the first Keeper of Geology at Dudley Museum, a position that allowed me to combine my love of natural history with my growing expertise in museum interpretation. I was promoted to Museum Director, where I could put my vision for engaging, innovative exhibitions into practice. My exhibition programme there was commended in a House of Commons minute.

From Dudley, my career took me to Hartlepool as Head of Arts and Museums, where I continued to push the boundaries of what museums could be. With funding from the government’s ‘Renaissance in the Regions’ scheme I developed award-winning projects like 'The Curiosity Shop', a travelling exhibition that took museums out of their traditional spaces and into shopping centres to reach people who might never visit a conventional museum.

In 2006, an unexpected opportunity arose that would take my work in an entirely new direction. I was asked to oversee the exhibit development of Sharjah Maritime Museum and Aquarium in the United Arab Emirates, marking the beginning of my Middle East journey; a project that involved preserving and interpreting a rapidly disappearing heritage of a nation.  

While in the Arabian Gulf I was commissioned to produce a concept for a subterranean museum in the ITHRA cultural centre at Dhahran in Saudi Arabia. The museum, which opened in 2018, tells the story of Saudi Arabia's natural and cultural history and represents the culmination of decades of experience in creating spaces where objects and narratives come together to educate and inspire.

I returned to the UK in 2010 as Culture and Tourism Manager for Oxford City Council, to oversee three major initiatives: developing a cultural strategy for the city; drafting proposals for a destination management company, and re-locating the City of Oxford Museum.

In 2012, I was invited back to the Middle East to spearhead the content development of energy-themed exhibits in Riyadh and Dhahran. This involved working with contractors across three continents to produce cutting edge AV displays and education programmes.

Since 2018 I have worked independently as a heritage consultant, advising on strategic development, interpretive planning and exhibit content development. 

Throughout my 35-year career, I've published widely in scientific journals and museum publications, spoken at international conferences, appeared on television and radio as a geological expert), and served in leadership positions across various professional organisations.

These days, when I'm not working on museum projects, I lead bespoke heritage tours of Northern Ireland. I enjoy sharing my experiences and knowledge through talks at Women's Institute and University of the Third Age meetings, where the intimate setting allows for the kind of conversation and connection that drew me to museums in the first place—those moments when curiosity is sparked and understanding deepened. I also do vision planning and fundraising to support charity work in my local community.