Stephanie Neave, Chief Executive Officer

Stephanie Neave is an accomplished research leader and experienced strategist, with an extensive research portfolio and proven track record of leading organisations to design, deliver, and use research to improve policy and practice.

Prior to UKRIO, Stephanie was the Head of Research and Strategy at Mission 44, an international charitable foundation founded by Sir Lewis Hamilton to address systemic issues within education, employment, and youth empowerment. A member of the founding team, she played an integral role in the organisation’s journey from start-up to scale-up, leading on the development and implementation of its ambitious strategy, theory of change and business plan, as well as cultivating its research and evaluation functions.

Prior to Mission 44, Stephanie was the Head of Research and Evaluation for EngineeringUK, a national educational charity which represents the engineering community, where she developed and implemented its research strategy, establishing the organisation as a leading authority in the STEM education and skills space. Before this, Stephanie held a similar role at the Equality Challenge Unit (now AdvanceHE), the national body for equality and diversity in higher education, where she built and oversaw its research department and was instrumental in managing its transition to a membership body.

Beyond dynamic and strategic leadership experience, Stephanie brings to UKRIO a deep understanding of research methods and practice, having led on a wide range of research relating to equality, education, and skills at both the national and international level, including for the European Commission, Wellcome Trust, and the Royal Society. Her work has been cited in the likes of the Autumn Budget, the National Audit Commission, and the Skills Commission, as well as national media outlets such as the Guardian and BBC.

In tandem with her professional experience, Stephanie has a strong educational background in social research, with a Masters in Social Research Methods from LSE, a B.Sc. in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a Public Policy minor from the Goldman School of Public Policy, Berkeley.