Jackie Liu is Head of Degree Programmes at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. He oversees the smooth delivery of its renowned degree programmes (namely, Master of Public Policy, MSc in Public Policy Research, and DPhil in Public Policy), supporting world-class faculty to drive extraordinary teaching and innovations for the School’s truly diverse and international cohort of postgraduate students.
At the Blavatnik School, Jackie’s portfolio of responsibilities covers strategic planning and resource management, operational design and delivery, quality assurance and governance, and student and career support services, in relation to the above three top-ranked Oxford degrees.
Prior to (re)joining the Blavatnik School in April 2022, Jackie held senior positions in the Hong Kong civil service. Between 2017-2022, he was principal assistant secretary for development, re-designing town planning legislation and policies to expedite redevelopment of industrial land and brownfields in Hong Kong. In 2012-16, he was principal assistant secretary for financial services, playing a major role in driving legislation to upgrade the prudential regulation of the banking sector, promote an active bond market, and enable innovations of financial technology and payment solutions. He led the Hong Kong delegation at the Financial Action Task Force for mutual evaluations, anti-money laundering standard negotiations, and global regulatory improvements. From 2009 to 2012, he was posted to Geneva, Switzerland to provide direct support for the permanent representative of the Hong Kong delegation at the trade and market access negotiations being conducted at the WTO.
As one of the fast streamers at the administrative service, Jackie was fully funded by the Hong Kong government to pursue his Master of Public Policy (class of 2016-17) at the University of Oxford. Additionally, he holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Hong Kong, Bachelor of Laws from the University of London, and a first-class undergraduate business degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Jackie is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is entitled to practise as a solicitor in England and Wales. With this combination of expertise, Jackie is interested and specialises in administrative law, education law, tax and public budgeting, law and politics, and market and geopolitical risks.
Outside of Oxford, Jackie holds a number of public service appointments. He has been appointed by Secretary of State for Education since January 2025 as a schools adjudicator to rule on objections and variations to admission arrangements for publicly funded primary or secondary schools in England. He also sits on the Council and Senate of the University of Reading as a lay member, and on the governing body of the Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School as a foundation governor.