Matthew Gould
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Matthew Steven Gould (born 20 August 1971) is a British civil servant who is
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of NHSX, the body which oversees digital policy and programmes in
NHS England NHS England, officially the NHS Commissioning Board, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care. It oversees the budget, planning, delivery and day-to-day operation of the commissioning side of the ...
. He was Ambassador to Israel (2010–15) and Director General for Digital and Media Policy in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (2015–19).


Early life

Gould is descended from
Polish Jews The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lo ...
who immigrated to the United Kingdom before
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. His grandfather changed the family name from Goldkorn to Gould. Gould grew up in
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
, LondonInterview: The UK's new Jewish ambassador to Israel
/ref> and was educated at Orley Farm School, Harrow before moving to St. Paul's School, where he was a contemporary of George Osborne,
Patrick Neate Patrick Neate (born 1970) is a British novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter and podcaster. Early life Born and raised as a Roman Catholic in South London, he was educated at St. Paul's School and Cambridge University. He spent a gap year in ...
, and Ed Vaizey. After St Paul's he spent a year teaching at Nyarukunda Secondary School in Northern
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
, with the organisation Project Trust. He then went to
Peterhouse, Cambridge Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite ...
, where he read philosophy and divinity. During this time, he spent a summer in
Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
with the environmental NGO Frontier, and subsequently published an article on "Termite Feeding Preferences" in the academic journal '' Sociobiology''.


Foreign Office, 1993–2010

After joining the British Foreign Office in 1993, Gould initially served as Assistant Desk Officer (
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
/
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
), Security Policy Department until 1994; and then as Second Secretary in
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
in charge of political affairs and press from 1994 to 1997. In Manila, Gould launched a programme of co-operation between Britain and the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
to combat child abuse, which included bringing detectives from the UK to run training courses for Filipino police officers. He was awarded the MBE for this work in the 1997 New Year's Honours list, at age 26. Gould was in Manila when Robin Cook visited as Foreign Secretary. Gould wrote a speech for Cook, and was immediately appointed by him as his speechwriter, which he did from 1997 to 1999. During this period, Gould coordinated and led a group of young FCO officials keen to reform the FCO. Initially known as the Young Turks, the project led to the Foresight Report – a major internal review of how the FCO worked. The report was widely credited with helping the FCO to modernise itself and develop new and more open working practices. Gould served as Deputy Head of the FCO's Consular Division from 1999 to 2001. In this time, he worked with
Baroness Scotland Patricia Janet Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, (born 19 August 1955), is a British diplomat, barrister and politician, serving as the sixth secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations. She was elected at the 2015 Commonwealth Heads ...
, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, to create a more effective and active approach to the practice of forced marriage. Gould established a new unit in the FCO tasked with combatting forced marriage and helping its victims. From 2002 to 2003, he was Political Counsellor in
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
. From 2003 to 2005, Gould was Deputy Head of Mission in
Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
, and
Chargé d'Affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...
(acting Ambassador) for six months of this time. In June 2004, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard arrested six
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
and two
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
sailors on the Shaatt al Arab waterway, and held them for three days. Gould was sent to
Khuzestan Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers ...
to negotiate their release, and flew back with them to Tehran. From 2005 to 2007, Gould was Foreign and Security Policy Counsellor and the Representative of the Joint Intelligence Committee in Washington, DC. Afterwards, from April to July 2007, Gould was Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister, initially with
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
and then under
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...
. He was Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary from July 2007 to July 2010, running the office of
David Miliband David Wright Miliband (born 15 July 1965) is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the International Rescue Committee and a former British Labour Party politician. He was the Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010 and the Member of P ...
for almost all the latter's time as Foreign Secretary, and then of William Hague for the first few months that he was in office.


As Ambassador to Israel

In September 2010, Gould took up the post of British ambassador to Israel, and served in that role until 2015. He was the first Jew in the post, and spoke of his pride in the position on a number of occasions. In a video message that coincided with his arrival in Israel, Gould outlined his three goals: Explaining Israel to Britain; explaining Britain to Israel and forging a strong partnership between the two. Gould said, “I need to give a strong message from Britain that as Israel goes down the difficult path to peace, Israel isn't alone.” He also said, “Britain is very clear: We regard Israel as an important strategic partner.” Before he was ambassador, Gould was involved in a number of secret meetings organised by Denis MacShane, involving himself,
Liam Fox Liam Fox (born 22 September 1961) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Trade from 2016 to 2019 and Secretary of State for Defence from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Conservative Party, Fox has served as th ...
and
Adam Werritty Adam Werritty (born 18 July 1978) is a Scottish businessman. Werritty is a friend of the former UK Secretary of State for Defence and ex Secretary of State for International Trade, Liam Fox. He lived for a period in 2002 and 2003 at Fox's Londo ...
. The Foreign Office said in response that "The FCO has total confidence that Matthew Gould has acted appropriately at all times and at no stage was he acting independently, or out of line with government policy." In November 2011, in discussing religious faith and diplomats, Middle East Minister
Alistair Burt Alistair James Hendrie Burt (born 25 May 1955) is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Bedfordshire from 2001 until 2019. He was previously MP for his native Bury North in Greater Manchester from 1983 until ...
said that "there is absolutely no reason why our ambassador to Israel should not be Jewish. Any allegations about Matthew Gould's conduct are utterly unsubstantiated. He is a first-class ambassador." Douglas Alexander, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said: "The faith of any British diplomat is irrelevant to their capability to their job. To make suggestions otherwise is wrong and offensive. On a personal note I know from my time in government Matthew Gould embodies all that is good in British diplomacy."


Holocaust survivors initiative

In 2011, Gould and wife Celia, together with then-Israeli ambassador to London
Ron Prosor Ron Prosor ( he, רון פרושאור; born 11 October 1958) is an Israeli diplomat, writer, and columnist. He is the Head of thAbba Eban Institute for International Diplomacyin IDC Herzliya Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy & Strategy. On ...
, launched an appeal in the UK Jewish community to raise money to aid
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
survivors in Israel. Approximately half of the £2 million goal has been raised, and six social clubs for survivors are being set up around Israel. The first was officially opened in February 2012, in the presence of Israeli Welfare Minister Moshe Kahlon.


Israel and Iran's nuclear threat

Gould told the Israeli daily newspaper ''
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
'' in November 2011 that efforts at preventing a nuclear program in Iran are continuing and that "The U.K. and Israel stay in very close touch about the threat from Iran."


Israel's "Boycott bill"

Following the passage by the Israeli
Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
in July 2011 of the "Boycott Bill", which allows Israeli citizens to sue organisations or persons calling for a boycott against Israel or parts of Israel, and forbids the government from funding such organisations, Gould told the Israeli daily '' Maariv'' newspaper, "We are concerned about the passing of this law, which damages the legitimate right to freedom of speech, and which conflicts with the strong Israeli tradition of lively and vigorous political debate." In November 2011, he warned Israeli MK Ophir Akunis that the passage of a bill that would limit foreign funding to human rights organisations, would "reflect badly on Israel in the international community". Gould has also spoken at major conferences to urge Israel to ensure it is living up to its founding vision of a nation for all its citizens, saying that if Israel's prosperity is to be sustainable, it needs to harness the economic potential of all its communities – including the Arab community of Israel.


Promoting Israeli and UK hi-tech

In October 2010, Gould and the British Embassy in Israel officially launched the UK-Israel Technologies Hub. The Hub is tasked with forging a tech partnership between the two countries. The goal is to position the UK as a natural partner of choice for Israel in technology, and ensure the UK market can make full use of the breadth and quality of Israeli R&D and innovation. The former CEO of
NICE Systems NICE Ltd. () is an Israel-based company, specializing in contact center softwareNICE CXone, telephone voice recording, data security, surveillance, and Robotic Process Automation as well as systems that analyze recorded data. The company serves ...
and Director-General of the Israeli Finance Minister Haim Shani serves as the Hub's non-executive chairman. The Hub focuses on three major areas in particular:
digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals **Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...
,
bio-medical Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbio ...
, and
clean tech Clean technology, in short cleantech, is any process, product, or service that reduces negative environmental impacts through significant energy efficiency improvements, the sustainable use of resources, or environmental protection activities. Cle ...
. The Hub is "unique as the team is the only dedicated group in the world promoting high-tech cooperation from inside an embassy".


Israeli-UK science initiatives

Gould has been involved in a number of groundbreaking projects aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries: this includes the revamped BIRAX Regenerative Medicine Initiative, through which £10 million will be invested in 15 major UK-Israel research projects over a five-year period. The initiative was officially launched at a conference at Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the
Negev The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...
in November 2011, which drew 250 experts in the field, including 60 British scientists from 20 different universities.


International community support for Israel

Gould said in an interview in August 2012, "Israelis might wake up in 10 years time and find out that suddenly the international community has changed, and that patience for continuing the status quo has reduced." Though these comments raised some criticism, Anshel Pfeffer, writing in ''Haaretz'', said, "not only is Gould not betraying his roots, he is doing the Jews of Britain a huge favor," saying that this will give strength to those British Jews who wish to say something critical of Israel but at the same time show support for Israel. According to an article in the ''
Jewish Chronicle Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
'' of London, an "Israeli Foreign Ministry source said privately that it was a pity more diplomats did not say what Mr Gould had said."


Encouraging Jewish partnership with Oxfam

Gould said in January 2013, that supporters of Israel in Britain should do more to engage with critics of Israel, saying "If the friends of Israel only engage with those who already agree with them, they will find it difficult to win the argument." This came on the heels of a controversial partnering between the British Board of Deputies, which represents the UK's Jewish community, with
Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...
, which has been criticised for being anti-Israel. He was appointed
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...
(CMG) in the
2014 Birthday Honours The 2014 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...
for services to British interests in Israel, particularly trade and investment scientific and technological co-operation.


Cabinet Office and DCMS, 2015–2019

In late 2015, Gould was described as Director of Cyber Security and Information Assurance at the
Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...
. In March 2016, he was listed as director of the European and Global Issues Secretariat, part of the Cabinet Office which coordinates policy on international trade and development. This role probably ceased when the unit was reorganised in June 2016 under
Olly Robbins Sir Oliver Robbins (born 20 April 1975) is a former senior British civil servant who served as the Prime Minister's Europe Adviser and the chief Brexit negotiator from 2017 to 2019. He was a controversial figure among Brexit supporters. He pr ...
, in connection with the UK's relationship with the European Union. In October 2016, Gould became the government's first Director General for Digital and Media, based in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). In this role, which he held until May 2019, he worked on policies for connectivity, digital skills and growth of digital companies. The unit's remit was widened in March 2018 to cover
open data Open data is data that is openly accessible, exploitable, editable and shared by anyone for any purpose. Open data is licensed under an open license. The goals of the open data movement are similar to those of other "open(-source)" movements ...
, data ethics and data sharing. In March 2019, Gould described and defended the unit's role when he appeared before the Science and Technology Select Committee during its enquiry into digital government.


NHSX

In May 2019, Gould was appointed as the first chief executive of NHSX, which oversees digitisation of
NHS England NHS England, officially the NHS Commissioning Board, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care. It oversees the budget, planning, delivery and day-to-day operation of the commissioning side of the ...
and commissions projects from
NHS Digital NHS Digital is the trading name of the Health and Social Care Information Centre, which is the national provider of information, data and IT systems for commissioners, analysts and clinicians in health and social care in England, particularly th ...
and other bodies. NHSX came to public notice in April 2020 after it commissioned
NHS COVID-19 NHS COVID-19 is a voluntary contact tracing app for monitoring the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in England and Wales. It has been available since 24 September 2020 for Android and iOS smartphones, and can be used by anyone aged 16 or ove ...
, a contact tracking app to monitor the spread of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, which was later dropped by the UK government in favour of an Apple/Google-developed alternative.
Michael Gove Michael Andrew Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations since 2021. He has been Member of Parli ...
, Cabinet Office minister, described Gould as an "inspirational public servant" when replying to questions on the app in the Commons in April 2020.


Personal life

Gould married Celia Leaberry in 2009, and their first daughter was born at the
Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center ( he, המרכז הרפואי תל אביב ע"ש סוראסקי; commonly referred to as Ichilov Hospital) is the main hospital complex serving Tel Aviv, Israel and its metropolitan area and the second-largest ho ...
in April 2011. Their second daughter was also born in Israel, in May 2013. They lived at the British Ambassador's official residence in
Ramat Gan Ramat Gan ( he, רָמַת גַּן or , ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, and many ...
with three cats and two dogs. Gould received an honorary doctorate from
Ben Gurion University Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...
in December 2012.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Matthew 1971 births Living people 20th-century diplomats 21st-century diplomats Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Israel Ben-Gurion University of the Negev alumni British Jews Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George English people of Polish-Jewish descent Members of HM Diplomatic Service Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at St Paul's School, London People from Wembley Principal Private Secretaries to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 20th-century British diplomats 21st-century British diplomats