Jo is a Professor of Work Psychology and her research has been fundamental in understanding the nature of political work within legislatures and political parties, as well as its importance in business and the public sector.
On this accolade, Jo said: “I am thrilled to be recognised by the Apolitical Foundation for my work on candidate selection. Strong and diverse political talent is fundamental to democracy, but our knowledge of how to find and develop it remains poor.
“With the support of many people and groups across politics and government, my approach as a work psychologist has been to work with political parties to build a shared understanding of political roles, and the qualities required to perform them, and to use this to develop evidence-based selection procedures that can be monitored for inclusivity.”
The Apolitical Foundation aims to connect people who work to give politicians the skills they need to represent their constituents effectively. Being named on this list is a testament to the work Jo does in this field.