Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Jo Dawson started her career training as a chartered accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Birmingham, after being educated at the University of Birmingham. She joined the trust in 2019 from the private sector where she had held a number of senior global leadership roles. Jo’s previous role was at Jaguar Land Rover Overseas where she was responsible for an annual turnover of £6bn. Having been a chair of governors at an academy in Birmingham for 10 years, Jo is now a co-opted member of the audit and risk committee at the University of Liverpool.
In her role as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at OAT, Jo provides strategic leadership across the organisation’s operational functions, while continuing to fulfil the responsibilities of Chief Financial Officer. She oversees a broad portfolio of professional services, including estates management, governance, IT, administration, communications, HR and finance, ensuring these functions effectively support the Trust’s educational mission and long-term objectives.