Jamie O’Hara, CEO of HCD Economics, is delighted to announce the appointment of Jo Pitt, to the new role in the company of ‘Health and Wellbeing’ officer. In June 2020 the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (84(6) ajpe8154;DOI: https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe8154), the authors succinctly expressed the compelling need that Jamie is seeking to address in appointing Jo, they stated ‘Focusing on promoting wellbeing through leadership will move our institutions forward to a brighter future beyond COVID-19’.
The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the way we live and work. As the HCD Economics team attempt to create and maintain a new normal because of this pandemic, the preservation of wellbeing becomes the responsibility of each and every one of us. The pandemic has taught Jamie as CEO (the one ultimately responsible for the mission pursued by HCD Economics) the importance of wellbeing. Jo’s appointment is the consequence of Jamie’s intent to establish new assumptions and beliefs about how and when the company works (for example; increased and evolved attitudes to home working and frequent virtual interactions); how to be more efficient in our work and home responsibilities; and above all, what is most important. In placing wellbeing at the centre of his leadership objectives, working with Jo will play a crucial role in supporting every individual in the entire team at HCD Economics by maintaining a routine, modifying work and role expectations, and offering psychosocial support as needed.
Jo has been a lecturer at Riverside College, Halton, Cheshire (rated as outstanding by Ofsted in 2020) since 2009. In parallel she has developed a busy private practice offering psychotherapy supervision for individuals who enrol in her counselling sessions. HCD Economics is the first corporate engagement in Jo’s experience and thus this is a unique and innovative approach, and one which Jo is very enthusiastic to evolve and integrate into the future of HCD Economics. As an academic and private practitioner, Jo can bring a unique insight to understanding the psychological needs of the 80% of the HCD Economics team who have joined from an academic environment. With this group Jo intends to put into practice her insights into the best ways of managing researchers and academics. For the 20% of HCD colleagues that have a commercial background, Jo can apply experience gained in counselling many individual clients from the commercial world, from companies near Halton and beyond.
Jo draws upon standalone, evidence based theories in her practice, under the overall approach of ‘integrative psychotherapy’. Within this approach Jo applies person centred treatment, cognitive behaviour therapy, compassion focussed treatment psychodynamics and transaction analysis. She will be available to engage with all members of the HCD Economics team, with no limitations of the duration of counselling for each individual, as Jamie’s intention is to offer the team whatever it required, in terms of Jo’s professional support. This commitment to promoting wellbeing in the Company through leadership, is intended to benefit the team and consequently the clients and partners of HCD Economics.
Jo has a lifelong commitment to working with people and working with complex management challenges. She embarked on her psychology career after a successful career in the catering and entertainment industry. For Jo, one benefit of lockdown is that ‘everything slowed down’ which is a positive outcome Jo will build on, in her objective of the fostering of patience and understanding between team members.
As UK lockdown restrictions continue to ease, Jo is looking forward to spending time travelling the UK’ on the road’ in her touring caravan. Being ‘on the road’ in a caravan is coincidentally, also recently adopted during lockdown by Jamie.