Power to the Regions: Leveraging Devolution for Growth

Graeme studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Trinity College Oxford and has been working in the field of education research and management since 1995. After 6 years leading Aimhigher work in London, he founded AccessHE and NEON in the UK. He now leads both the Centre for Levelling Up at the University of West London and NEON. Graeme holds Visiting Professorships at Amity University, London and Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is a member of the board of the National Union of Students (NUS) and has produced over 200 conference papers, and publications.

Joe has been head of research at Localis for six years, overseeing a research programme focused on devolution, decentralisation, community empowerment and local economies. He is interested in creating public policy to promote local economic development which is responsible both culturally and ecologically. At Localis, he has led research projects in partnership with local authorities of all shapes and sizes, as well as private and third sector sponsors, with work featured across the national and sector media.

Justin joined Norse Group in 2006 after completing an MBA in Business Administration and Management. He also holds an MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment and a BSc in Environmental Sciences. As Operations Director in a wide range of Norse divisions he helped develop the company’s pioneering local authority partnership model. In 2020 Justin was appointed Chief Operating Officer, and in January 2022 became Chief Executive Officer. In this role he has embraced the ESG agenda, introducing the mantra of “Improving People’s Lives”.

Jeffrey Matsu is Chief Economist at CIPFA and a Fellow of Practice at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. With extensive experience in connecting policy with practice through evidence-based research, he works with partner governments, accountancy bodies and the public sector around the world to advance public finance and support better public services.

Previously, Jeff was responsible for market analysis and thought leadership at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and co-led the economy theme at the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE). He was also a senior economist at Morgan Stanley and served on the research staff at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington DC. He holds degrees in economics from the University of Washington and Johns Hopkins University.