Matthew Hamilton is a social change strategist from Ireland who has worked in successful teams in the healthcare and education sectors on three continents.

Currently and previously a policy adviser at Orygen Youth Health Research Centre in Melbourne Australia, Matthew has advised on two policy and advocacy programs to achieve reform and innovation in Australian mental health care. The first program in 2004-5 resulted in the establishment of headspace (Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation) and the most recent program (since 2010) helped secure $1.5b of new Australian Government investment in the first stage of a new National Mental Health Reform initiative.

Between his two postings in Melbourne, Matthew worked as a social entrepreneur, educator and consultant in Ireland, Latin America and the Caribbean. As Portfolio Manager (Mental Health) for The One Foundation in Ireland, Matthew was Co-Founder and Operations Director of Headstrong - The National Centre for Youth Mental Health and also helped catalyse the creation of Mental Health Reform Ireland. In 2007, Matthew moved to Guatemala where he taught social studies in Colegio Mesoamericano, Chimaltenango before developing a civic education program in six Eastern Caribbean nations for the Organisation of American States / Trust for the Americas. Matthew travelled extensively within Latin American and the Caribbean during this time and was a contributing writer to the Footprint Central America & Mexico Handbook

Matthew was also previously Head of Policy and Communications at The Wheel (Ireland’s peak body for the community and voluntary sector) and a self-employed media entrepreneur, producing short films and e-learning media projects. Matthew is a former elected student representative on the Governing Authority of the University of Limerick, from which he graduated with a degree in Accountancy and Finance.