Ryan is a writer, thinker and entrepreneur. He is the Founder and Chief Executive of the UK think tank, Bright Blue. Ryan was previously a Research Fellow for the think tank the Social Market Foundation.

Ryan is a Senior Visiting Fellow at King’s College London. He is a trustee of the Early Intervention Foundation, and was previously a trustee for the Young Women’s Trust (2014-2019) and the Daycare Trust (2010-2015). He sits on the advisory council of the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, and Shelter’s Big Conversation on Social Housing. He is a mentor for the Social Mobility Foundation and a governor of a new secondary school in East London.