Vanessa Emmett

Personal biography

I am based in Oxford with my husband and two children. In my leisure time, I enjoy theatre, country walks and travel, and spending time with family and friends.

Organisation biography

I have been involved in a number of startup initiatives in the UK and internationally. Most recently, I co-founded Medicine in the Cloud, a consultancy working, initially in Zimbabwe, to support the continuing professional development of doctors in rural areas. Prior to that I set up and ran the CSCLeaders international senior leadership development programme for Common Purpose; in New York, I worked for FT Knowledge to set up their customised financial training business in Central America and the Caribbean. I was also the National Programme Manager for the Millennium Debate of the Age, an innovative and entrepreneurial campaign about the implications of an ageing society. I worked at Tyzack & Partners Executive Search as Head of Research, and my early career was in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office serving in both London and Mexico.

In addition to Catch Up^®, I am a trustee of Family Links and the Centre for Emotional Health and of the Elias Ashmole Trust at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Why do you work with/support Catch Up^®?

Literacy and numeracy are essential life skills, and the Catch Up^® team impresses with their superb training for teachers and TAs who work with struggling learners. Catch Up^® is so appealing for its simple, pragmatic and well-researched approach that is easy to deliver and achieves transformational results for these children.