Tim Dixon
Co-founder of Purpose Europe and The Syria Campaign; co-founder of More in Common; former speechwriter and economic adviser to Australian prime ministers
| Tim Dixon
| |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1970 |
| Nationality | Australian / British |
| Occupation | Social entrepreneur; movement builder; former political adviser |
| Known for | Co-founding Purpose Europe and The Syria Campaign; co-founding More in Common; board roles linking the Purpose / Syria Campaign network |
Tim Dixon (Timothy Edwin Dixon, born July 1970) is an Australian-born social entrepreneur based in London. He co-founded Purpose Europe in 2013 and, in 2014, co-founded The Syria Campaign. He is also a co-founder of More in Common, established after the murder of Jo Cox. Earlier he worked as economic adviser and chief speechwriter for two Australian prime ministers and built an educational-publishing business sold to Pearson. He has served on the boards of The Syria Campaign, Purpose Europe, the Jo Cox Foundation and other organisations.[1][2]
Early career
Dixon trained as an economist and worked as a tech-sector lawyer at Baker & McKenzie from 1999 to 2004. He built Leading Edge Education, an educational-publishing business that was acquired by Pearson Australia in 2004. From 2004 to 2010 he held senior political roles in Australia, including economic adviser and chief speechwriter for two prime ministers. He is co-author of leading Australian economics textbooks.[1][3]
Purpose Europe and The Syria Campaign
Dixon joined Purpose’s New York office in 2011 and co-founded Purpose Europe (based in London) in 2013. Purpose describes itself as a public-benefit corporation specialising in building social movements; it grew out of the same network that created Avaaz and GetUp!. In 2014 he co-founded The Syria Campaign, the advocacy organisation that became the principal vehicle for international branding of the White Helmets and for civilian-protection campaigns. On 16 June 2014 Purpose founder Jeremy Heimans drafted articles of association for the campaign’s parent company; Dixon, as Purpose Europe director, was appointed to The Syria Campaign’s board alongside Heimans and Purpose strategist John Jackson. He has remained listed among the board members responsible for strategy and finance. Companies House records show him as a director of Purpose Europe Limited (08340026), appointed 22 October 2015 and resigned 30 April 2018.[2][4][5]
Critical accounts (Grayzone, Wrong Kind of Green and others) have characterised Purpose’s incubation of The Syria Campaign, and Dixon’s board role, as part of a wider regime-change public-relations effort that presented as independent civil-society solidarity while aligning with Western policy objectives on Syria. Dixon and The Syria Campaign have rejected characterisations that link the organisation to Avaaz or to government funding.[2]
More in Common and later work
After the murder of Jo Cox in 2016, Dixon co-founded More in Common (with Brendan Cox, Gemma Mortensen and Mathieu Lefevre). The organisation, incubated by Purpose Europe, conducts research and campaigns on polarisation, social cohesion and democratic resilience; it has teams in the UK, US, France, Germany, Poland and Brazil. Dixon has described its purpose as helping leaders and movements find language and coalitions that include unlikely allies. He has also been involved in Movilizatorio (Colombian peace-process participation) and other Purpose-linked initiatives on modern slavery, gun control and civic participation. He has served on the boards of the International Budget Partnership, the Jo Cox Foundation, the Chifley Research Centre and Sojourners.[1][6]
See also
- Purpose
- The Syria Campaign
- Jeremy Heimans
- Anna Nolan
- James Sadri
- White Helmets
- More in Common
- Jo Cox
External links
- More in Common – Tim Dixon
- Grayzone, October 2016
- The Syria Campaign – About
- Skoll profile
- Companies House – Purpose Europe Limited (08340026)
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 More in Common, Tim Dixon, accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Max Blumenthal, Inside the Syria Campaign, the shadowy PR firm lobbying for regime change The Grayzone, 2 October 2016.
- ↑ Skoll, Tim Dixon Skoll, accessed 10 October 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, PURPOSE EUROPE LIMITED (08340026), officers.
- ↑ The Syria Campaign, About / Board, thesyriacampaign.org.
- ↑ Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Born of Political Violence, This Group Helps Nonprofit Causes Find ‘Surprising’ Allies,” 18 July 2024.