Our team

CEO

Su has been CEO of the Foundation since early 2021, having originally joined the team in 2019 as the Great Get Together Campaign Director. She has a varied background, including jobs in the arts, charities, media and sports, with organisations including London 2012, the British Council and GB Snowsport. Outside of the Foundation, she is a Trustee of the Bishopsgate Institute.

Head of Operations and Finance

Will joined the team in November 2021. He’s previously worked for a variety of charities in the youth, education and LGBTQ sectors, undertaking a range of roles which have led him to working in charity operations. Will is a serial volunteer with a keen interest in governance and is currently a governor at his local secondary school and the Chair of Derbyshire Mind. He lives in Clowne in Derbyshire with his husband and their two dogs, where he is a District and Parish Councillor.

Head of Community Programmes

Zoe joined the Foundation in 2021 as Connection Coalition Manager. Since summer 2022, she has been Head of Community Programmes, leading the newly formed team which includes the Connection Coalition, the Great Get Together, the More in Common Network, and our work in West Yorkshire. Zoe has over 15 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, primarily working with young people and practitioners to lead and deliver social change programmes in the UK. Living in Worcester, outside work she can be found walking by the canal or volunteering at the community garden.

Evaluation and Impact Manager

Jennie has worked in the charity sector for over 10 years, managing evaluation, impact measurement and community cohesion projects for multiple charities. She has worked across varied sectors including care, health, education and the environment with a specialism and passion for work that tackles loneliness and isolation in communities. Outside of work, Jennie has been a charity trustee and creative mentor for an arts and disability charity in Bristol. She is also a trained illustrator and has illustrated for a number of children’s books.

Communications Manager

Marianne joined the team in 2021, with previous roles in communications and PR for charities (large and small) and in higher education. With a degree in Politics and Sociology, she’s particularly interested in social equality and inclusive communication. Outside of work she can be found exploring the south west coastline or trying to learn Portuguese.

Digital Communications Officer

Kira joined the Foundation in August 2021. She is very passionate about using social media to engage with people and keeping up with the latest trends. Kira also founded a UN Women UK award-winning campaign to end gender based violence in her community, which followed with a support group she facilitates for local young women. Outside of work Kira enjoys spending time with her family and checking out Instagram-worthy places for great scenic photo opportunities.

Digital Communications Officer

Lindsay joined the team in June 2023. She comes from a broadcast journalism background, having worked in several BBC local radio newsrooms, and as a breakfast radio presenter and TV newsreader in Gibraltar where she lived for a decade with her young family. A lifelong volunteer, including in hospital radio, local schools and running a toddler group, Lindsay has also produced a series about volunteering for radio and for an online magazine. A passionate advocate for creativity as a means to positive mental health, away from work Lindsay can often be found with a crochet hook and yarn in her hand.

Communities Manager

Meena joined the Foundation in November 2021 to manage and grow the More in Common Network nationally. Her experience of working with different communities spans over 18 years, with a special interest in meaningful engagement with seldom-heard groups and community cohesion. Her previous roles include managing the community-led Big Local initiative in Bradford, where she supported local people to work together and spend £1 million to improve their neighbourhoods. Meena is a Batley-born Yorkshire lass who has a keen interest in connecting communities to build long-term positive relationships.

Yorkshire Programme Manager

Hafeezah joined The Jo Cox Foundation initially as a volunteer, supporting the programme of Great Get Together events across Batley and Spen. As Yorkshire Programme Manager, Hafeezah recently co-led and delivered the ‘Belonging in Batley and Spen’ project. Hafeezah has a passion for architecture, fashion and the arts. Having experienced exclusion and multiple intersecting barriers to accessing green spaces, Hafeezah is discovering and exploring her newfound interest in green spaces and places across the region of Yorkshire. 

Great Get Together Campaign Manager

James joined the Foundation in March 2022 to manage the Great Get Together campaign. Prior to joining the Foundation he worked as a volunteer manager for charities in the outdoors and youth sectors as well as a caseworker. He is particularly interested in how voluntary action can help to build inclusive communities and bridge divides. Away from work James can generally be found doing, organising, coaching or refereeing some sort of sport – whether that be hiking, climbing, running, cycling, football or rugby.

Connection Coalition Manager

Richard joined the team in November 2022 as our Connection Coalition Manager. He previously worked with communities across the UK to take action for national behaviour change at Mind (on mental health stigma and discrimination) and at Parkinson’s UK. He’s taught in schools in East London and Shropshire, and in community groups in Nicaragua. He has studied Fine Art, Psychology and Psychotherapy, and loves gardening, painting, running and exploring the local landscape with his young family.

Communities Officer

Penny joined the foundation in February 2022 as Communities Officer to support and develop the More in Common Network. She has worked and volunteered for many community groups, charities, universities and in the public sector. Her focus is on connecting people and resources, enabling people to speak up in decision making processes, and sharing learning, to promote wellbeing and social justice and reduce division. In 2019 she set up an online peer support group for community helpers around North Staffordshire where she lives.  Her favourite things are fresh air, community singing in many languages, and great theatre, film and TV.

Operations Assistant

Danny joined the team in September 2023 as Operations Assistant. He previously worked in a number of charitable organisations across the UK, primarily in Events and Fundraising at Bath Festivals, New Wine and St Peter’s Hospice among others. He has a degree in Media Writing and loves spending time with his wife and three children, reading, film and going to gigs with any spare time he has!

Head of Morale; Pawsonal Assistant

Maximus and Delta joined us in November 2021. When they’re not working they enjoy walks in the park, belly rubs and barking at everyone who goes past the living room window.

Chair

Jacqui Smith chairs one of the largest NHS groups in the country, having joined Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and Barts Health NHS Trust as Chair in common in October 2021. Prior to that, she was Chair of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

Following a successful teaching career, Jacqui was elected as the MP for Redditch in 1997 and served for 13 years. She was one of the longest-serving ministers in the Labour government and the first female Home Secretary.

As well as being Chair of The Jo Cox Foundation, Jacqui is also Chair of the Sandwell Children’s Trust and the Precious Trust. She is a Trustee of the Kings Fund and works in the Middle East supporting parliamentary and political development. 

Jacqui is a weekly contributor to Good Morning Britain and presents the ‘For the Many’ podcast. In 2020 she took part in Strictly Come Dancing.

Treasurer

Rosamund Blomfield-Smith spent 30 years in the City, latterly as a director of both Rothschilds and ING Barings, but since 2003 has been non-executive.

She has served on many boards, including Thames Water and Hartpury Agricultural College and is currently chairman of Museum of London Archaeology and a member of Ofgem’s Challenge Group. 

She and her husband rear traditional breeds on their 386-acre farm in Herefordshire.

Steve is Chair of the consultancy firm Portland. Previously he worked in 10 Downing Street and as a spokesman for the European Commission in Brussels. He and Jo became friends at university.  

Amanda joined The Jo Cox Foundation board in early 2022 having admired to Jo’s campaigning and advocacy work, particularly for the rights of women and children. Prior to this, she has been on multiple trustee boards and has been involved in political campaigns, always using both routes to amplify the voices of young people in the decisions that affect them. By day, she works for the NHS and lives in London.

Nisha Jani is a (trainee) Medical Herbalist and experienced Complementary Therapist specialising in supporting people affected by cancer. She is a passionate believer in equality, fairness and kindness.

Her life was immeasurably improved when she made friends with Jo Leadbeater (before she was Cox!) at university and as a JCF Trustee she aims to carry on the work Jo cared about.

Geethika is currently CEO of Youth Charity Redthread and has 20 years experience as a senior charity and local government leader in children and family services and social justice charities.

She joined the Jo Cox Foundation Board because she was inspired by Jo’s work as an MP and is passionate about the JCF mission to make the world a kinder, fairer, more connected place.

Jennie is Director of the consultancy firm Impact Works Associates, working with a range of social change organisations on strategy and impact.

She has been a leader in international development, working on policy and programmes, in government, funders, the UN and NGOs, and on humanitarian, long-term development and influencing initiatives for over 20 years.

Jennie has previously held senior roles in Comic Relief, Oxfam, the UK Department for International Development and Christian Aid, and was previously a trustee for the Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre.

Sam is the CEO of a growing Multi Academy Trust based in the heart of Batley and Spen in Yorkshire, and a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. Sam is passionate about the positive impact education can have on transforming young people’s lives, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Sam also believes that schools can be the social glue that hold communities together, and building stronger together networks of young people, families and educators can help build stronger, more united communities.

Sam was privileged to meet Jo Cox many years ago when they were both working in Batley, and she became a trustee to help build a legacy to Jo and continue the great work Jo started around building stronger communities, empowering women-young and old, and building a society that is stronger, fairer, happier, healthier and more equitable for everyone.

Eloise Todd is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Pandemic Action Network, a global network of more than 350 organisations working to stop future outbreaks from becoming pandemics in every country.

Eloise is an advocacy, policy, campaigns, communications and strategy specialist with over 20 years’ experience on international development, health and campaigns, and has worked as a political adviser within the EU institutions, as Global Policy Director of the ONE Campaign and has helped kickstart digital campaigns for free school meals, anti-racism and the fight against Brexit.

Eloise was one of the founding Board members of the Jo Cox Foundation, and was driven to join to honour the memory of her close friend Jo who she met in 2000, and take forward the issues they had a shared interest in.