I grew up in East Berkshire but attended Stowe School, Buckingham, where I won prizes for English composition and geography whilst in the sixth form. Having graduated with a degree in Economics & Geography combined honours from the University of Exeter in 1988, I trained in teaching at the University of Wales, subsequently teaching in both a public school and a grammar school to A level, specialising in human and applied modules but also teaching geomorphology and hydrology to younger age groups.
In January 1997 I commenced a new career around economics and the data behind it, starting as the data developer in Trade in Services (BOP3) in the Macroeconomic Statistics Analysis Group (MESAG) at the Office for National Statistics (ONS). I have subsequently worked as an economist or an economic researcher in local authorities (Cambridgeshire County Council Research Group), Local Economic Partnerships (Milton Keynes LELP), regional government (both the SE and East of England), devolved administrations and private consultancy. I have years of experience in labour market analysis, having been Head of the Intelligence Unit at the East of England Learning & Skills Council and senior economic researcher at Skills Insight, the labour market intelligence organisation for the South East England Regional Development Agency (SEEDA).
For more than seven years I was economist at the Greater London Authority under two Mayoral regimes, part of the team writing the economic evidence base underpinning the London Plan, the London Economic Strategy and the London Transport Strategy, as well as the long-term labour market projections. During this time my focus was on environmental economics, an area I continued whilst at Natural Resources Wales (Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru) as Lead Economist in Cardiff.
For the last decade I have been senior economist at the prestigious consultancy, Oxford Economics, centred on the economics of tourism and the economic impacts of new capital investment and infrastructure using input-output modelling to estimate impacts on jobs, GVA, wages and tax revenues.