Following completing a Bachelor of Science (Honours) majoring in Biochemistry, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Dairy Science and Technology, Jo’s career commenced in technical management roles in the New Zealand dairy industry. She then moved to London to gain overseas experience and moved into the recruitment sector.

Following a year living in Brazil where she established a café and learnt to speak Portuguese, in 2003, Jo returned to New Zealand and commenced her career in executive search. Prior to founding Baxter Executive Search in 2019, she built successful executive search practices for two leading New Zealand executive search firms, including being a founding partner of one of them.

Jo has attended the post graduate programme in executive search at Cornell University, New York through the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC).

Jo has led CEO, Senior Executive and Non-Executive Director appointments which have impacted the successful performance of client organisations across a variety of commercial and technically oriented sectors throughout New Zealand.