Matthew Symonds
Matthew Symonds | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 20, 1953 United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, executive director |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Known for | Co-founder of The Independent, executive director of the Larry Ellison Foundation |
Matthew John Symonds (born 20 December 1953) is a British journalist who has served as the executive director of the Larry Ellison Foundation since 2018. He played a pivotal role in establishing The Independent in 1986.
Symonds is the offspring of John Beavan, Baron Ardwick, who was once the London editor for The Guardian, and Anne Symonds, a broadcaster for the BBC World Service. His career includes positions at the Mirror group and the Financial Times, before joining The Daily Telegraph in 1981 as the lead economics writer. In 1986, together with former colleagues from The Daily Telegraph, Andreas Whittam Smith and Stephen Glover, he launched The Independent following their departure during Lord Hartwell's tenure.
Following his departure from The Independent, Symonds took on the role of strategy director at BBC World Service Television. Between 1996 and 2018, he contributed to The Economist, where he was awarded the Wincott Prize for financial journalism in 1998. His roles there included political editor, technology editor, and ultimately defence and diplomatic editor.
Symonds describes himself as an economic liberal, promoting market-based approaches combined with individual freedoms and transparency.
He is married to Alison, with whom he has three children. Additionally, in 1988, he fathered a daughter, Carrie Symonds, with Josephine McAfee, a lawyer affiliated with The Independent. Carrie is married to former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Selected publication
- Softwar: an intimate portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle (Simon & Schuster, 2003, ISBN 978-0743225052)