Our Team
Simon Jennings,
Executive Director
With nearly a decade of experience spanning policy, parliament and lobbying, Simon has established himself as a leader in the emerging technology space. Simon is the Founder and Managing Director of NorthPoint Strategy, a leading political and communications consultancy that specialises in public affairs. He concluded his career in the public sector as Chief of Staff to a Senior Government Minister, where he gained extensive experience in the Government Whips’ Office and on issues relating to Brexit, the digital economy and financial services. He was nominated by Prospect Magazine as ‘Parliamentary Staffer of the Year’ in 2019.
Matt Gravelle,
Policy Director
Matt has worked in financial services policy in London since moving to the UK in 2013. Most recently he was at Kraken, a leading crypto trading platform, where he headed the policy function for the UK and APAC and served a term as UKCBC chair. Before joining Kraken, Matt was a Director in Standard Chartered's Regulatory Affairs team, where he focused on capital markets regulation and digital policy across the bank’s global footprint. He was previously at Deutsche Bank and CME Group where he focused on post-financial crisis regulatory reforms.
Matt is originally from Ottawa, Canada, where he worked for the Canadian government and a public policy think tank before moving to the UK. Matt studied at Queen’s University (BA) and McMaster (MA) in Ontario and the University of British Columbia (PhD) in Vancouver.
Will Riley-Smith, Associate Director
Prior to consultancy, Will spent three years as Chief of Staff to a Minister in his range of roles, including Minister for Europe and Minister of State for Transport. Will also led a number of operations for the Government Whips’ Office, including the lauded ‘Respect Your Vote’ campaign. During his time in advocacy, Will has represented blue-chip firms from Samsung to Mars Global and offered strategic communications advice to sovereign governments. Will offers pro-bono advice to the Jazz All-Party Parliamentary Group and helps co-ordinate over 100 MPs and Peers who make up its membership.
Christopher Herman, Associate Director
Before starting his career in consultancy, Chris spent seven years advising Gareth Thomas, a Labour and Co-operative MP who currently serves as Minister for Services, Small Business, and Exports, and is the former Chair of the Co-operative Party (2001-2019).
During his tenure in Westminster, Chris played a key role in advancing policy initiatives focused on international trade and financial mutuals. He was actively involved in the legislative review of various free trade agreements, most notably the UK's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Furthermore, Chris successfully coordinated several All-Party Parliamentary Groups, fostering cross-party collaboration and policy development.
During his time in the Shadow Trade Team, Chris led the policy surrounding new technologies within trade deals, particularly during the debate on the UK-India trade negotiations. Chris is also a Labour Digital member and is interested in AI and how it impacts the consumer.
