Award winning journalist and former Director of Communications in the corporate and not for profit sectors, Jo’s career spans politics, public affairs and media.   

She was Paddy Ashdown’s Press Secretary when he was Leader of the Liberal Democrats and has acted as professional lead for a range of organisations on strategic policy and communications, lobbying and stakeholder relations.

She worked with the BBC on their review of political coverage, the Home Office on youth & democracy projects, the Power Inquiry and the London HIV Prevention Programme.

She is an independent member of the Windrush Day Grants Advisory Panel and a consultant for a number of local authorities with a remit that covers community engagement and communications strategy around major regeneration and redevelopment schemes. 

A regular political commentator on national and international broadcast media, she writes for The Guardian, The Independent, Total Politics and other national publications.  She was Editor of the award-winning current affairs show Sunday Service for Radio 5 Live and Editor of live TV coverage of political party conferences for the BBC. 

She is also a judge for Debating Matters, the national schools debating competition and has worked with a range of youth organisations focused on politics, democracy and debate .