Gavin Kelly

Chief Executive

Gavin is a leading media commentator on politics and public policy – writing for the Guardian, FT, Prospect as well as being a regular blogger for the New Statesman. He covers a wide range of issues spanning economic policy, low pay, welfare reform, public services and social mobility. He joined the Foundation from No 10 Downing Street where he worked as Deputy Chief of Staff.  He spent over a decade in Whitehall and was a member of the Council of Economic Advisors at HMT, the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State at the Department for Education and the Department for Communities and Local Government, Deputy Head of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, and a member of Tony Blair’s Policy Unit.

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Vidhya Alakeson

Deputy Chief Executive

Vidhya joined the Resolution Foundation in January 2011 having previously worked as a Senior Fellow at the Nuffield Trust where she was responsible for developing the organisation’s international programme of work. Prior to that, Vidhya spent three and a half years in Washington D.C, initially as a Harkness Fellow in Healthcare Policy conducting independent, comparative research and then working for the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the US Department of Health and Human Services covering issues such as early years, behavioural health, health reform and housing.

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James Plunkett

Director of Policy and Development
James is Director of Policy and Development. He oversees the Resolution Foundation’s policy work as well as developing new areas of work and partnerships. Previously, James ran the Commission on Living Standards, a wide-ranging investigation into the pressures facing people on low-to-middle incomes. He joined the Resolution Foundation in October 2010, prior to which he was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

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Warwick Smith

Head of Communications
Warwick worked for more than 15 years as a newspaper journalist and television producer before moving into communications. He joined the Resolution Foundation in September 2012 and is responsible for digital communications, media relations, events and communications strategy. His previous job was Head of Press and Information at the London School of Economics and he has also worked at the Department for Transport and DEFRA.

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Matthew Whittaker

Senior Economist

Matthew is responsible for the Foundation’s economic analysis. He leads on defining and researching the low earner group, managing the annual publication of the Low Earners Audit. Prior to joining the Foundation he spent five years as a statistical and economic specialist in the House of Commons.

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Alex Hurrell

Senior Analyst
Alex is an economist specialising in poverty analysis and social policy. At the Resolution Foundation he works on childcare costs and work incentives, the impact of introduction of Universal Credit and research aimed at understanding transitions into and out of the low to middle income household group. His areas of technical expertise include analysis of micro-data, survey design and implementation and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) including rigorous impact evaluation. Prior to joining the Resolution Foundation in March 2012, Alex led the Poverty and Social Protection team at Oxford Policy Management, a development consultancy specialising in public policy analysis and implementation in low and middle income countries.

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Giselle Cory

Senior Research and Policy Analyst

Giselle joined the Resolution Foundation in January 2012. She is responsible for issues relating to the labour market, with a focus on older workers. Giselle also analyses micro data and models changes to elements of the tax and benefit system. She regularly contributes new analysis on the Resolution Foundation’s blog and oversees our Work Experience programme.  Prior to joining us, she worked on criminal justice issues at the national charity Victim Support. Before this, she was at the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, HM Treasury, working primarily on policy on children, education and skills.

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Matthew Pennycook

Senior Research and Policy Analyst

Matthew joined the Resolution Foundation as a Senior Research and Policy Analyst in January 2012, prior to which he was Head of Office and Senior Researcher for a Member of Parliament. From 2008 to 2009 he worked for the Fair Pay Network – a national coalition which aims to raise awareness of low paid work and in-work poverty in the UK and to promote solutions to address their social cost. 

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Joe Coward

Communications Officer and Research Assistant to the Chief Executive

Joe joined the Resolution Foundation in June 2011, and works with both the Communications and Research teams. Prior to joining the Resolution Foundation, Joe was a Research Intern at Demos where he contributed to the Home Front report on parenting and the Open Left project. Joe studied Economic & Social History at the University of Edinburgh, spending a year on exchange at the University of Chicago where he studied Economics, Public Policy & Sociology.

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Jayne Desmond

Head of Resources

Jayne is responsible for finance, HR, executive assistance and office management. Previously, she was Company Manager for Past Pleasures Ltd, the UK’s largest costumed historical interpretation company, and worked for the National Trust.

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Aderonke Omotosho

Administrator

Aderonke is responsible for supporting the Head of Resources in HR, Finance and IT, and provides executive assistance to the Deputy Chief Executive. She joined the Resolution Foundation in October 2012 and prior to this has been involved in housing management in a tenant-managed organisation for 4 years and worked at Lambeth College of Further Education overseeing resources for literacy, numeracy and ICT for adult learners.

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