Marek Matraszek was born in the UK and studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he graduated in philosophy, political science and economics in 1984. After a year of lecturing in Poland at the Catholic University of Lublin, he returned to Oxford to obtain an MA in Russian and Central European Studies in 1987. He then continued his studies at Oxford, preparing his doctoral thesis.
He came to Poland in 1990 as an independent policy consultant and worked closely with both the British Conservative Party and the US Republican Party, supporting them in measures implemented in Central Europe. In 1992 he was elected to represent the Margaret Thatcher Foundation in the region and continued active political journalism and think-tank work in Central Europe.
In the early 1990s, he founded CEC, the first boutique public affairs consulting agency in the region, and led the development of the Warsaw office.
He specialises in the design and implementation of strategic communications programmes and lobbying campaigns for American, British and European corporations in Poland, also advising on their political strategies across the CEE region and the European Union. He has particular experience in the fields of defence, aviation and energy, currently advising, among others, Lockheed Martin in Poland.
He is also the author of numerous publications on Poland and international affairs in magazines such as Poland Monthly, Warsaw Business Journal, The Spectator and Wall Street Journal Europe. He has also published a study on the Polish political scene, The Politics of Restoration. He is a frequent commentator on Polish politics for the BBC, CNN, CNBC and Al-Jazeera TV and on Twitter at @matraszek