I'm Calum Williams, a Solutions Architect and data transformation advisor based in Glasgow. I work with UK public sector organisations — primarily local government — to help senior leaders navigate the complexity of modern data platforms and turn ambition into delivery.

Most of my clients know they need to change something. They've heard about Microsoft Fabric or Databricks, they've got pressure to modernise, and they've got budgets that need justifying. What they don't have is a clear starting point, a prioritised set of use cases, or a business case that'll survive scrutiny. That's where I come in.

I work at the strategic end of engagements — understanding what success looks like for a given organisation, helping articulate the value of different use cases, selecting the right lighthouse project, and shaping what the programme of work needs to look like to actually deliver. I've worked with over a dozen UK councils on their data transformation journeys, across use cases including single view of child in social care, the Families First Partners Programme, automated statutory reporting, and AI-powered knowledge mining.

I currently work as Lead Solutions Architect at Simpson Associates, one of the UK's leading Microsoft and Databricks data transformation consultancies. Before that I spent time in presales at Alteryx working across public sector, and earlier in my career as a data and IoT engineer.

Experience

Simpson Associates — Lead Public Sector Solutions Architect

Feb 2024 – Present · Remote

Leading data transformation engagements across the public sector, championing use-case prioritisation frameworks and Azure-native architectures. Previously Lead Data Consultant (Jul 2023 – Feb 2024).

Alteryx — Public Sector Solutions Engineer

Jan 2022 – Jun 2023

Presales and value engineering for public sector organisations, focused on Local Government health and social care. Helping teams identify analytics pain points and demonstrate platform value.

City Facilities Management — IoT and Big Data Engineer

May 2020 – Jan 2022 · Glasgow

Designing and delivering IoT and big data solutions to drive operational improvements.

Eyecademy — Technical Consultant

Apr 2019 – May 2020 · Glasgow

Technical consulting with a focus on data analytics and Databricks.

Education

MPhys Physics with Complexity Science — University of Strathclyde (2009–2014)
Fencing Club Captain · Sports Union IT Officer · Strathclyde Physics Society

Certifications

• Databricks Solutions Architect Essentials (May 2024)
• Databricks Data & AI Governance with Unity Catalog (May 2024)

Outside work

You'll find me at data conferences across the UK (DATA:Scotland is a favourite), occasionally posting about Databricks with Taylor Swift references, and always happy to talk F1, WEC, sim racing, poker, or good Glasgow coffee spots.

Want to connect? Find me on LinkedIn.