Research England Council Member
Polly Mackenzie is a member of Research England’s Council.
Polly is CEO of Zinc Innovation Partners, a venture builder supporting early-stage research commercialisation and academic entrepreneurship.
From 2022 to 2025 she served as Chief Social Purpose Officer at University of the Arts London, leading environmental and social governance, civic engagement, communications and development. She was Director of Policy to the Deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2015, advising the coalition government on domestic policy.
Polly went on to found the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, a charity working to break the link between financial difficulties and mental health problems.
Polly led the cross-party think tank Demos from 2018 to 2022, focusing on democratic health, information environments and public sector reform. She is a non-executive director of a recruitment company, Door 10, and an advisory council member at the Future Governance Forum. She also chairs the policy committee of Family Business UK, a trade association representing family-owned businesses.
Last updated: 2 April 2026