Nick was Chief Executive of Centre for London from June 2021 to June 2023. He was formerly the Mayoral Director of Policy at the Greater London Authority. Nick has also previously worked at the Royal Society, EEF (now Make UK) and the CBI. Between 2010 and 2015, he was the Special Adviser to Sadiq Khan as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Constitutional Reform.

Nick has lived in London for more than 20 years, having grown up in South Yorkshire and studied in Newcastle and Sheffield. He is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Policy Institute, King’s College London, has a degree in geography and mathematics, and a PhD in economic geography, and is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of Arts.

What do you love about London?

It’s really hard to know where to begin, but having everything you could possibly want all within one city is just amazing. I love the city’s fantastic vibrancy and how it is home to people from all over the world. It is seeping with history and culture, and as a geographer I never get bored exploring the city as it is ever-restless and constantly changing. To live in a city the whole world looks to, wants to visit and takes inspiration from makes me proud.

What would you change about London if you could?

For all that it’s an amazing city there are still many Londoners who don’t share in its success. I would love the city to do more to address this. I also wish relations could be better with other parts of the country: it’s become too much of a sport to bash London and Londoners, and as someone from up north this saddens me. The Northerner in me would also love it if the cost of a pint of beer was a bit cheaper!