Matt Hiely-Rayner is a strategic planning professional with over 24 years of HE experience. Having developed a particular expertise in education performance metrics, he is responsible for the methodology behind the University rankings of the Guardian University Guide and for their compilation.

Originally joining the UK sector as a data analyst, Matt has retained a keen interest in student patterns of engagement and with unexplained disparities in outcomes. He co-chairs the planning group of the Higher Education Institutional Research network for UK and Ireland, organising events on topics that excite attention and interest among this community.

In his role as Director of Strategic Planning and Performance at the University of Sussex, Matt is currently operationalising the university’s new strategy.