Jo Marchant is Head of Estates at a multi-academy trust and has worked in school business leadership and management for the past 14 years. She has an MBA and an MA in Leadership, and is a qualified health and safety officer. She is a Fellow of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) and serves on the steering group of The Trust Network for school estates professionals.

Jo spent 12 years working in maintained special schools, where she had responsibility for managing premises and capital build projects. She lobbied the Department for Education to set up the National Network of Special Schools, which was formed in 2020. She is a School Resource Management Adviser and a Specialist Leader of Education.

In 2016, Jo was awarded an ISBL Chief Executive Award for Exceptional Contribution to the Development of the SBM Profession, for 'raising the profile of special schools and contribution to international research'. In 2021, Jo became the first school business practitioner to have her empirical research into school business leadership published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Jo was awarded an MBE for services to education in the King's birthday honours list in June 2024.