Matthew Taylor

Co-founder and Managing Director
MET Designs

Matthew works across sectors to drive social change and create public value. He is committed to individual and collective action to create a better world.

His main focus is on shifting social innovation and entrepreneurship from the periphery to the mainstream — positioning people and the planet at the heart of our economy.

Matthew is the co-founder and managing director of MET Designs, a social enterprise that aims to transform lives through education.

He is also a policy manager at the Victorian Government specialising in procurement policy and reform, co-founder and Chair of the Folio Collective, an ANZ Emerging Leader, and a Global Shapers Community alumnus.

He began his career as a commercial lawyer, specialising in regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings, anti-competitive conduct, consumer protection and regulated industries.

Title: Harnessing the power of the marketplace

Synopsis: For better of worse, our individual and collective purchasing decisions have a significant impact on the economy, our communities, and the environment.

An unthinking approach to these decisions reinforces unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and undermines the social and environmental systems that are critical to prosperity, peace, and human flourishing.

Every year, governments and businesses spend trillions of dollars acquiring the goods and services they need to operate and achieve their objectives — from cupcakes to major construction projects. These procurement activities are one of the biggest drivers of our economy.

Social procurement is when these organisations use their buying power to deliver social and sustainable outcomes, above and beyond the goods and services being procured. It aims to harness the power of the marketplace to minimise harm and maximise benefits to people and the planet.

This expert panel focuses on social procurement in action. We'll explore what social procurement is, what best practice looks like, and the big challenges and opportunities for buyers and suppliers.