Matthew Rowlands
Director
Matthew leads in the conception and delivery of issues-based campaigns and strategic communications. He works with organisations spanning the public and private sectors – from founder-led start-ups and top-tier VCs to NGOs and industry bodies – to translate complex, challenging ideas into campaigns that resonate.
He led Seven Hills BPI’s relationship with Octopus Ventures and has strong experience in deeptech, which includes our work with quantum pioneers M Squared, robotics firm Tharsus, and advising the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. He also leads our work with One Young World, the global community for young leaders whose annual gathering was described by VICE as “the world’s biggest and most impactful youth leadership Summit”. Through our work with Innovate Finance, he also led the media programme for the Kalifa Review, the independent strategic review of the UK’s Fintech sector.
He plays a central role in our MissionLab service, which works with senior leadership teams to equip clients with a new narrative and brand positioning that shapes corporate strategy.
His time at Seven Hills BPI included a lengthy secondment in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he built the media profile for the firm’s US clients. Pro-bono experience includes provided high-level communications support for Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, who is currently serving as Chief Advisor of Bangladesh.
An experienced former journalist, Matthew was based in Beirut, Lebanon, where he reported for The Associated Press and was a desk editor at one of the Middle East’s leading dailies. He read Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and holds an MA in Middle Eastern Politics from SOAS.