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Our members
The Council is led by a board of international experts from across the dementia field together with national government representatives. It is chaired by Dr. Joanne Pike, President and CEO of Alzheimer's Assocation with Professor Paulo Caramelli Professor of Neurology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, serving as vice chair.
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Our Executive Team
The executive team runs the Council’s programmes on a day-to-day basis working with members of the Council to deliver activities around the world. It is led by the executive director, Lenny Shallcross.
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Our History
The World Dementia Council (WDC) was created in February 2014, following the G8 Dementia Summit in London in December 2013.
The World Dementia Council brings together leaders from science, medicine, public policy, industry, and advocacy to drive global progress on dementia. We work as both a convening platform and a strategic think tank, connecting an international community and supporting collaboration across borders and sectors. Our purpose is to help shape the direction of the field and ensure that scientific and clinical progress translates into meaningful change for people and societies.
Established by the UK Government following the G8 Dementia Summit held in London in 2013, the Summit set out a shared ambition to accelerate progress through international cooperation, information exchange, and coordinated action. The Council’s mission is to support and challenge the global community to deliver on that ambition: to ensure dementia remains a priority for governments, health systems, and research funders; to provide thought leadership on emerging opportunities; and to build the networks required to move from commitments to real-world impact.
Today, we are at a pivotal moment in the trajectory of our field. Scientific progress has brought us to an inflection point. In prevention, we now understand that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias can be meaningfully reduced through public health interventions. In diagnosis and treatment, a revolution in diagnostics is underway that promises to transform how and when people are diagnosed.
With these breakthroughs comes a clear and urgent challenge: ensuring that the benefits of scientific research are translated into real-world impact for people everywhere, regardless of geography. Scientific progress must translate into real-world outcomes. This new phase demands a new approach for our global community.
We must think longitudinally, about how to sustain innovation and strengthen global advocacy over time. But we must also consider how global advances are implemented through national and regional policies that deliver measurable outcomes. The World Dementia Council is working in both domains. Our task now is to convene, to connect, and to help lead a global effort that turns scientific possibility into meaningful change for individuals, families, and societies.
The Council is chaired by Dr Joanne Pike, with Professor Paulo Caramelli serving as Vice Chair, and its executive is led by Executive Director Lenny Shallcross. Together, they guide the strategic direction and day-to-day work of the organisation. The Council itself is made up of a board of global experts drawn from across the dementia field, including leaders from industry, life sciences, venture capital, academia, care, and advocacy, as well as representatives from national governments and international public bodies. The organisation also has a Board of Trustees, who provide oversight and stewardship in support of the Council’s mission.