YBF Think Tank Conservative Career Workshop

The next YBF Conservative Career Workshop is next Wednesday 11^th January 2012 at 5:30pm at 55 Tufton Street, London, SW1P 3QL.

Focusing on the world of think tanks, the event will be hosted by Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the Taxpayers' Alliance and Big Brother Watch.

Matthew launched the Taxpayers' Alliance in 2004 as a non-partisan grassroots campaign for lower taxes and better public spending. Under his leadership, the TPA has grown to become "arguably the most influential pressure group in the country" according to the Guardian, with over 60,000 supporters, 15 full-time campaigners and a huge media profile. He also founded Big Brother Watch in 2009 to campaign for civil and personal liberties.

From September 2010 to May 2011 Matthew took a sabbatical from the TPA to lead the NO to AV campaign in the nationwide referendum on changing Britain's electoral system. The NO campaign won by a spectacular margin of over two to one.

Speakers during the event will include:

Alex Deane:

Alex was Prime Minister David Cameron’s first Chief of Staff. Following this, he was the founding director of Big Brother Watch, the civil liberties think tank. Alex read English Literature at Cambridge University and took a Masters degree in International Relations as a Rotary Scholar at Griffith University. A World Universities Debating Champion, Alex is now Head of Public Affairs for Weber Shandwick.

Stephanie Lis:

Stephanie is the Campaign Manager of The Freedom Association, Britain’s premier libertarian pressure group. She started working for TFA as an intern in early 2011 before being promoted to her current role. Stephanie read history at Nottingham University before completing her masters at LSE. 

Raheem Kassam:

Raheem is the Executive Editor of the acclaimed political website The Commentator as well as Director of Campaigns at The Henry Jackson Society and Director of the counter-extremism pressure group Student Rights. 

Ben Harris-Quinney:

Ben is the chairman of the Bow Group. He holds an MSc in International Relations from LSE. Ben has been involved in politics and international relations for more than 10 years, having worked on foreign policy issues for the Conservative Party in both the UK and European Parliaments.