The Progress Team

Meet the Progress team:

Robert Philpot – Director
Robert Philpot is director of Progress, editor of its monthly magazine and editor of The Purple Book published by Biteback in September 2011. He was a special adviser to Rt Hon Peter Hain MP from 2006 to 2007 during his time as Northern Ireland secretary and was special adviser to Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP from 2008 to 2010 during her time as minister for the Olympics and minister for the Cabinet Office.

Before joining Progress, Robert was a graduate teaching assistant at Brunel University, teaching American politics and history. He has written for publications including the Guardian, New Statesman, Tribune and Renewal.

Richard Angell – Deputy Director
Richard Angell is the deputy director of Progress, member of the Crime, Justice, Citizenship and Equalities commission as a member of the National Policy Forum and campaigns officer of Stockwell branch Labour party. He is also the former national chair of Young Labour and national secretary of LGBT Labour.

Richard was the general election coordinator in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in 2010 and election organiser in Wolverhampton South West in 2005, has run selection campaigns for a number of people who are now MPs and speaks regularly to local CLPs and Labour groups about the future of the Labour party.

Adam Harrison – Editorial and Website Manager
Adam Harrison joined Progress in 2010 having worked in publishing and political and reputation research for a number of years in the UK, Belgium and Russia. He is a Labour councillor in Camden, blogging here, and he has previously written for the College of Europe Diplomacy Papers, the Chambers legal guides, and Ipsos MORI’s newsletter Reputation Matters.

Matthew Faulding – Political Liaison and Membership Officer
Matthew joined Progress as an intern in 2010. He then worked at a number communications firms and on the campaign of Oona King to be Labour’s candidate for mayor of London before returning to Progress in 2011. He studied politics at Sussex University and is an active member of the Labour party.

Simon Jeffrey – Events Officer
Simon joined Progress as an intern in 2010 working on the general election, RateMyTory.org.uk and the David v Goliath campaign. He joined Progress as events officer in the summer, then worked part time alongside a masters at Birkbeck, University of London and is now back full time with Progress. He is a Labour party member and activist, campaigning for Labour since his mid-teens. Simon studied Politics at the University of York.