Matthew Taylor
Doctor of Arts

Matthew Taylor is chief executive of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. Before his appointment to RSA, he was chief adviser on political strategy to Prime Minister Tony Blair.

He was awarded an honorary doctorate in recognition of his work in politics and the arts. Matthew was appointed to the Labour Party in 1994 to establish their rebuttal operation. His previous activities included being a county councillor, a parliamentary candidate, a university research fellow and the director of a unit monitoring policy in the health service.

Until December 1998, Matthew was assistant general secretary for the Labour Party. During the 1997 general election he was Labour’s director of policy and a member of the party’s central election strategy team. He was the director of the Institute for Public Policy Research between 1999 and 2003, Britain’s leading centre left think tank.

Matthew is a frequent media commentator on policy and political issues, and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Observer, New Statesman and Prospect.