Immediately before this, he was portfolio director, transformation, leading work to create the FCDO following the merger of the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
Matt spent more than half his career overseas with both the FCO and DfID, covering a wide range of development and foreign policy roles.
From 2014 to 2017, he was the foreign secretary’s special representative for Sudan and South Sudan. He served in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2014.
From 2006 to 2010, he represented the UK on the governing boards of UNICEF, the UNFPA, UNDP and UN Women at the UK’s mission to the United Nations.