About the Commission

Nick is the co-founder of WPI Strategy, and a recognised expert in political communications and media strategy. He spent the past four years as the Director of Communications at Policy Exchange, helping the organisation gain its position as the UK’s leading think tank. He is also a prolific writer and blogger and is regularly cited in the national media, most recently in the Sunday Telegraph, The Times, the Financial Times and on the BBC. Prior to Policy Exchange, Nick advised senior business leaders and international businesses on policy and media issues during his six years as a consultant with a leading communications agency.

Matthew is a respected economist and policy analyst, having spent well over a decade working in and around policy making in Westminster. Before founding WPI Economics Matthew held a number of roles including Chief Economist and Head of Financial Services Policy at the consumer champion Which?, and Head of Economics and Social Policy at the think tank Policy Exchange. Matthew also led the Independent Review of Jobseeker’s Allowance sanctions that reported to Parliament in 2014, and previously spent eight years at the Treasury. Alongside WPI, Matthew is also a Senior Researcher at the Social Market Foundation.

Anna is project lead for the Commission and brings cross sector experience from previous roles at telecoms company EE, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and membership body CIPD, where she set up a youth mentoring project for young jobseekers. Most recently Anna was Head of Reputation at global accounting firm, PwC, where she was also a member of the Government and Public Sector Leadership team. At PwC she advised the UK board and clients on political risk and led stakeholder projects such as the Future of Government and the PwC digital annual report.

James has fifteen years of experience working as an economist at the forefront of policy making. His areas of expertise include transport, utility regulation, consumer policy, environmental and digital issues. Prior to joining WPI, James was Head of Policy for Digital and Regulation at the consumer champion Which?. Before this he worked for a decade at the Department for Transport, including as the Head of Road Economics after establishing the successful multi-disciplinary team and has experience of local transport, freight, rail and environmental issues. James has also previously worked at the Bank of England and has a Masters in Economics from UCL.

Sophie is assistant project manager for the Commission alongside her role as a junior consultant at WPI. She leads WPI’s political monitoring and intelligence work across a range of clients, including the telecoms and tech sector.

Joe is an experienced policy professional. Before joining WPI Economics, he spent five years working in a range of roles at the Association of British Insurers – most recently as a Senior Policy Adviser in the general insurance team. During his time at the ABI, Joe led on policy development and Government engagement across a range of areas including cyber risk, work and health, and civil justice reform. Prior to the ABI, Joe worked in the communications team at the New Schools Network and before that, in the office of Andrew Jones MP. He holds a degree in in Politics and Sociology from the University of Sheffield.