Jo was brought up and educated in East London and whilst growing up she thoroughly enjoyed being a member of the Army Cadet Force.
From a young age, Jo was set on a career in the British Army and that began aged 16 when she attended Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College as a 2008 entrant.
Following her A levels, Jo went on to study a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Design Engineering at Aston University, Birmingham. On completion of her degree she attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to complete the Regular Commissioning Course and in August 2014 commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers.
Jo’s career so far has seen her in several roles in the Army including command of soldiers at Troop level, project manager for a construction site in Kenya, planning and delivery of training, control of community engagement, influence and social media for a Regiment and Battlegroup Engineer to the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, which included a deployment to South Korea.
Jo is also a keen athlete and has always seized the opportunity during her career, taking part in rock climbing, white water rafting, hill-walking, off-shore sailing, mountain biking, paddle boarding, athletics, football, rugby and bobsleigh. Bobsleigh is Jo’s primary winter sport, travelling to Germany, Austria and Norway to compete as a pilot within the Army Bobsleigh Team.
Currently Jo is the Team Leader of the Army Youth Outreach Team (AYOT). This isn’t her first exposure to engagement as she was the face of ‘The Voice’ British Army Recruiting Campaign video 2018 which was aired nationally. The AYOT is a nationwide asset which engages with the youth of Great Britain to inform them of what their Army is up to using personal experiences and to generate a better understanding of the Army within society.