Matthew has 30 years' experience of UK and international environmental issues. Before joining Oxfam he was director of Green Alliance which conducts research on energy, resource stewardship and the natural environment, working with civil society, business and political leaders to achieve policy change.

Prior to that, Matthew was head of government affairs at the Carbon Trust, and campaign director at Greenpeace UK, where he developed its campaigning strategy. He was also the founding chief executive of the renewable energy agency Regen SW.

Matthew spent the early part of his career working on tropical forest conservation in Latin America. This exposed him to rural development challenges and public campaigning and led to an enduring interest in bringing about social and political change, as well as acquiring fluent Spanish.