Matthew Willmore attended Pate's from 2009–2011 before reading Politics and Philosophy at the University of Sheffield (including his second year at Sciences Po Paris). In his final year, he won the European University Debating Championships, making him one half of the first state-educated partnership to do so. He subsequently completed an LLM in Human Rights at the University of Edinburgh.

After graduation, Matthew toured the United States as part of the British National Debating Team and completed an International Citizen Service placement in Ghana. Following an internship with a peace-building NGO in Geneva and a short period in public affairs, he joined the Ministry of Justice. He worked first on Youth Justice Policy and then as an Assistant Private Secretary to three Prisons Ministers (including Rory Stewart).

Matthew joined the diplomatic service in January 2020, working on EU Exit and the COVID-19 response before being appointed Desk Officer for Afghanistan, where he led a London-based political team during the evacuation from Kabul. He was posted to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in January 2022 as Second (later First) Secretary for Counter Terrorism - the first person to hold the role. It was for this work that he was awarded an MBE in the 2025 New Year's Honours list.

Our most our sincere congratulations go to Matthew, on this well-deserved recognition.