Matthew Steen is the Director of Reviews and Testing, which conducts all the testing for CHOICE. He has had a long and storied history in the consumer movement. Matthew is driven to work at CHOICE for its constitutional mission and its dedication to making Australia more fair, safe and just. Matthew represents CHOICE as a council member on the Standards Australia Council. He is also responsible for CHOICE lowering its environmental footprint. Find Matthew on LinkedIn.

I am a test coordinator at CHOICE, which means my job is to put all different kinds of products to the test. From babies’ products like cots and strollers to small appliances like electric blankets and even pillows, I go through them all to separate the safe from the not-so-safe and determine which products are better bang for your buck. I hold a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sydney, and prior to joining CHOICE I was in Hong Kong working in other international laboratories and running test programs for major brand clients. Being able to work at CHOICE means I can not only put my expertise to good use, but I can do it for a better cause as well. On top of my work at CHOICE, I’m involved in several Standards Australia technical committees on key product safety standards, including toys, children’s furniture, and prams and strollers. Working in the laboratory, tearing down babies’ products, and looking at safety standards was not on my list of future careers when I was at university, but I’m happy I made the choice.