Meet our people – Andrew Hawkins
Find out more about our staff, their roles, and what their day to day looks like!
What was your path into evaluation and ARTD?
I have been fascinated by the concept of an ideal society since I was 16 and read Thomas More’s Utopia. The introduction referred to Plato’s Republic. This blew my mind. I had always loved history, but here was the idea that the world could be other than it was – it didn’t have to just be studied, it could be changed! Much later I came across this quote from Marx which pretty much summed things up for me ‘the philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world; the point however is to change it’! I have different views about how to go about that, and rather than ideology I am all about reasoned action.
When it came to work, I wanted to be a problem solver, I thought that might mean a consultant, but I had no idea what kind of consultant would problem solve in matters of public administration… When I left Uni I knew I was no use to anyone as a psychologist, I didn’t want to be an academic, and so I thought I would try being a bureaucrat. Well it was fascinating for a while- but ultimately too restricting. And then after Wendy Hodge from ARTD who I had been working with asked me if I had ever considered working at ARTD. It was like a conversion on the road to Damascus! I knew this was the perfect job, and so it has remained.
Can you sum up your role as a Partner in one sentence?
Supporting our people and clients to make the world a more thoughtful place through clear thinking and problem solving which requires you to challenge orthodoxies.
What was the best opportunity/ your proudest work moment since starting at ARTD?
Every time I see an ARTD staff member produce a piece of work that a client loves!
What is your favourite thing about working at ARTD?
The people. Hands down. And then the ability to be ‘me’ in my job and make a positive contribution to the direction of public policy in this country.
What does a ‘day in the life’ look like for you?
Too many emails!! But also, I will move between thinking about ARTD and then three or more public policy areas or methods. Today it is reforms to the VET sector, funding of early child education, youth unemployment. I am also reviewing the second draft of a literature review of systems change methods and organising data to conduct a qualitative causal inference relating to housing instability.
What’s something your clients may not know about you?
I am a pretty open book, so don’t hold many secrets. I like to read a lot of non-fiction, but I am also a big NBA basketball fan and tend to space out after a hard day by watching games.
