About Matt
Practical solutions based on theory and experience
Matt has spent over 20 years working at the intersection of leadership and learning: as a classroom teacher, school leader, and now as Head of L&D at Nesta, the UK's innovation agency and home to the Behavioural Insights Team.
The first 18 years in schools taught Matt what it takes to change behaviour in high-stakes environments with students, staff and families. You have to design for the reality people are living in, not the ideal you're imagining.
The last 4 years raised the bar for what ‘this is working’ actually means. Working alongside behavioural scientists, service designers and data experts means every solution has to stand up to evidence, not just good intentions.
Matt is a consultant in parallel to his role at Nesta Group. That's a deliberate choice. It means his work and thinking is tested in a real organisation, not theorised from a distance.
How this background helps clients
Matt diagnoses problems with care. He designs practical solutions and measures them honestly. His frontline grit and strategic rigour mean three things for clients:
Sharp focus on impact: No ‘training for training's sake.’ Matt focuses on delivering pragmatic solutions that align with your strategic initiatives.
Respect for your time: You’re busy and you don’t want to manage a consultant. Matt is a safe pair of hands who you can trust with delivery.
Engagement that sticks: Matt hates boring training. His deep experience as a teacher ensures workshops are relevant, engaging and challenging.
Experience backed up by theory
Master’s in Educational Leadership | CLO100 Certificate in Executive Education, Leeds Business School | CMI Level 7 in Strategic Leadership & Management Practice
Ways of working
Matt uses 3Cs to deliver practical, long-lasting solutions.
Curiosity - to diagnose needs.
Lasting solutions start with the right questions because the presenting problem is rarely the real problem. Before building anything, Matt uses diagnostic tools to understand what's actually getting in the way and why the obvious solutions haven't worked yet.
Compassion - to create a the conditions for change.
Development requires vulnerability. If people feel judged, they close up and nothing changes. Matt combines high standards with a non-judgmental approach to help teams reflect honestly, admit mistakes and learn. It’s not about being nice, it’s about removing the defensiveness that blocks performance.
Critical thinking - to serve business goals.
Matt uses logic and evidence to ensure solutions support business goals. In a workshop, it means helping people challenge their own beliefs and biases. With teams, it means aligning around shared goals and norms. This isn’t always easy, but it is the route to growth and business performance.
Let’s talk.
If you're not sure which service fits, that's fine — most conversations start there.
Get in touch and Matt will ask the right questions to work out what would actually help.
