Colleague spotlight: introducing Jo Larby
In this month’s feature, Jo shares insights into her professional journey, what drives her passion for building innovative solutions and a few fun facts about her life outside of work.
So, without further ado, let's find out more...
Here at Leighton, I’m in a dual role, as both an Accessibility Community Lead and a Technical Product Manager. With my Accessibility Community Lead hat on, I ensure that accessibility is at the forefront of Leighton’s culture, practices and products. I’m an internal advocate for accessibility, and I’m building a community around it to promote its importance across all teams from design and development to leadership as well as amongst our clients. With my Technical Product Manager hat on, I’m responsible for managing the roadmap of technical products or features, ensuring they align with customer needs, technical feasibility, and business objectives. I’m currently working on two products, the developer portal and backstage as a Technical Product Manager for one of our biggest clients, IAG Loyalty which is really exciting.
I joined Leighton just over 6 months ago. It’s funny, I was first offered a role in 2021, but didn’t accept the offer as it just wasn’t the right time for me. I’ve kept in touch with Leighton over the years, so when the opportunity came up again to join the team it felt right for me and the role they were offering definitely peaked my interest. The growth Leighton continues to go through, as well the new structure, was something that I definitely wanted to be a part of. It just felt like it was a really exciting time to join the business.
To be honest it wasn’t something that I originally saw myself doing. I went to Uni to do Computer Science and didn’t really know what I wanted to do after that, but soon after I did a placement with Accenture and realised I really enjoyed doing development and it basically grew from there. I ended up going from a Junior Dev to Senior Dev to then becoming a Tech Lead/Architect during various projects.
Being an advocate for accessibility and the importance of communication around that and also making sure I use the right terminology. I think being adaptable is so important when it comes to applying technical skills to a role. Having a solid understanding of programming languages and getting comfortable with different frameworks and technologies can really set you up for success. I’ve also learned that taking the time to understand accessibility standards, like WCAG, and how assistive technologies work makes a huge difference. It helps you create more inclusive, high-quality products and work better with your team. With accessibility, it can be quite difficult to navigate the language, you have to be empathetic for all users so you can understand their points of view. When you’re designing for users who use assistive technology, you’ve got to make sure there’s as much understanding as possible for challenges that may be faced throughout the full development lifecycle.
When I first joined Leighton, ‘Communities’ were just starting out, so there was a lot of work to look at what we wanted to achieve and build, but I think it’s been nice reaching those goals that we originally set out to do. Having also been made a part of the Operational Leadership Team has been important for me, as I feel I can have a positive impact across our consultants at Leighton.
Being named on the Futures List as part of the Northern Power Woman Awards which promotes gender equality throughout the North. This has opened a lot of doors for me that I didn’t initially expect. I think prior to that I was a woman in tech without actually thinking about what that meant, that was just my job. Whereas following on from that I now realise the importance and try and promote that where I can, like LinkedIn and various industry events. I feel like it also helps from a knowledge point of view for those who don’t actually realise why it is important to have perspectives from women in tech. I think that’s why it's one of my biggest achievement – because it’s had a wider impact for women in the community. I’ve also recently been accepted onto the Anthropy Emerging Leaders Programme for 2025, which is all about empowering young professionals in the early stages of their careers. I think this will be a really good opportunity for me in terms of exchanging ideas and hopefully building plenty of new connections with like-minded people.
The teamwork and the ability to help people. Making people’s lives easier, whether that’s through forward planning, giving people the right training, or making systems accessible and easier to use. I like being able to make things more efficient and essentially making people happier when they’re using whatever technology I’ve been involved in.
Dogs in the office! This was a game changer for me as it enabled me to finally get a puppy. The work-life balance is a big thing. Everyone talks about work-life balance, but Leighton encourages you to live life outside of work, even if that’s within ‘working hours’. I don’t have to feel guilty about attending an appointment, or taking a lunch break, or not attending a certain event. There’s a positive culture throughout Leighton around being able to live your life outside of work. You’re given the autonomy and trust to get your work done in a way that fits with your life outside of work and your other commitments.
The Web Summit in Lisbon was great. I really enjoyed the experience of being able to go to an international conference. I felt like I learnt a lot and had some key takeaways that I'll be able to feed back into the business and onto my customer projects. I really enjoy moments in the office as well. The team is spread across the UK, so it’s good to go into the office and see new faces every time. The simple things like going out for a drink or grabbing lunch with a colleague are really nice.
To get on to the next Power List – I would LOVE to get the next Northern Power Woman Award. Now I’ve got one award, I’d love to add this to the collection. It’s a big aim, but it’s something I’d love to achieve.
I do archery in my spare time and when I was younger, I actually shot for the England team. Although I don’t shoot now as much as I used to, it’s something that I’m hopefully going to get back into in the near future.
I like crafting, I try my hand at anything crafty that will keep me away from a screen, whether that’s painting or cross-stitch. Whatever it tends to be I usually get obsessed with it and then it moves on to the next thing, so literally anything craft related.
There’s a lot of research in terms of training, but there’s also that challenge of trying to get engagement from people. I think engagement can sometimes be quite difficult, especially when you want to shout about something. The challenge is trying to use new techniques to get people to engage, which I enjoy as its often so rewarding.
As a 'Junior/Mid-Level Developer I was told to always give something new a try. Say yes to the opportunities that are presented to you. When I was in that position, I didn’t necessarily think about it, but somebody mentioned it to me and then I was conscious to say yes to more things and challenges. I think that then helped me to challenge myself and try things in new areas that I may have otherwise not done beforehand, which has subsequently opened doors to do more roles and be more diverse in what I want to do.
Ask questions. Also, Google is your friend! It was funny, at Uni I was always told not to Google anything, and then when I started my first job, I used to just ask questions all the time, whereas everyone else was typing in the questions they wanted to know the answers to. So, my answer to that would be ask questions, and ask Google!
In this month’s feature, Jo shares insights into her professional journey, what drives her passion for building innovative solutions and a few fun facts about her life outside of work.
So, without further ado, let's find out more...
Here at Leighton, I’m in a dual role, as both an Accessibility Community Lead and a Technical Product Manager. With my Accessibility Community Lead hat on, I ensure that accessibility is at the forefront of Leighton’s culture, practices and products. I’m an internal advocate for accessibility, and I’m building a community around it to promote its importance across all teams from design and development to leadership as well as amongst our clients. With my Technical Product Manager hat on, I’m responsible for managing the roadmap of technical products or features, ensuring they align with customer needs, technical feasibility, and business objectives. I’m currently working on two products, the developer portal and backstage as a Technical Product Manager for one of our biggest clients, IAG Loyalty which is really exciting.
I joined Leighton just over 6 months ago. It’s funny, I was first offered a role in 2021, but didn’t accept the offer as it just wasn’t the right time for me. I’ve kept in touch with Leighton over the years, so when the opportunity came up again to join the team it felt right for me and the role they were offering definitely peaked my interest. The growth Leighton continues to go through, as well the new structure, was something that I definitely wanted to be a part of. It just felt like it was a really exciting time to join the business.
To be honest it wasn’t something that I originally saw myself doing. I went to Uni to do Computer Science and didn’t really know what I wanted to do after that, but soon after I did a placement with Accenture and realised I really enjoyed doing development and it basically grew from there. I ended up going from a Junior Dev to Senior Dev to then becoming a Tech Lead/Architect during various projects.
Being an advocate for accessibility and the importance of communication around that and also making sure I use the right terminology. I think being adaptable is so important when it comes to applying technical skills to a role. Having a solid understanding of programming languages and getting comfortable with different frameworks and technologies can really set you up for success. I’ve also learned that taking the time to understand accessibility standards, like WCAG, and how assistive technologies work makes a huge difference. It helps you create more inclusive, high-quality products and work better with your team. With accessibility, it can be quite difficult to navigate the language, you have to be empathetic for all users so you can understand their points of view. When you’re designing for users who use assistive technology, you’ve got to make sure there’s as much understanding as possible for challenges that may be faced throughout the full development lifecycle.
When I first joined Leighton, ‘Communities’ were just starting out, so there was a lot of work to look at what we wanted to achieve and build, but I think it’s been nice reaching those goals that we originally set out to do. Having also been made a part of the Operational Leadership Team has been important for me, as I feel I can have a positive impact across our consultants at Leighton.
Being named on the Futures List as part of the Northern Power Woman Awards which promotes gender equality throughout the North. This has opened a lot of doors for me that I didn’t initially expect. I think prior to that I was a woman in tech without actually thinking about what that meant, that was just my job. Whereas following on from that I now realise the importance and try and promote that where I can, like LinkedIn and various industry events. I feel like it also helps from a knowledge point of view for those who don’t actually realise why it is important to have perspectives from women in tech. I think that’s why it's one of my biggest achievement – because it’s had a wider impact for women in the community. I’ve also recently been accepted onto the Anthropy Emerging Leaders Programme for 2025, which is all about empowering young professionals in the early stages of their careers. I think this will be a really good opportunity for me in terms of exchanging ideas and hopefully building plenty of new connections with like-minded people.
The teamwork and the ability to help people. Making people’s lives easier, whether that’s through forward planning, giving people the right training, or making systems accessible and easier to use. I like being able to make things more efficient and essentially making people happier when they’re using whatever technology I’ve been involved in.
Dogs in the office! This was a game changer for me as it enabled me to finally get a puppy. The work-life balance is a big thing. Everyone talks about work-life balance, but Leighton encourages you to live life outside of work, even if that’s within ‘working hours’. I don’t have to feel guilty about attending an appointment, or taking a lunch break, or not attending a certain event. There’s a positive culture throughout Leighton around being able to live your life outside of work. You’re given the autonomy and trust to get your work done in a way that fits with your life outside of work and your other commitments.
The Web Summit in Lisbon was great. I really enjoyed the experience of being able to go to an international conference. I felt like I learnt a lot and had some key takeaways that I'll be able to feed back into the business and onto my customer projects. I really enjoy moments in the office as well. The team is spread across the UK, so it’s good to go into the office and see new faces every time. The simple things like going out for a drink or grabbing lunch with a colleague are really nice.
To get on to the next Power List – I would LOVE to get the next Northern Power Woman Award. Now I’ve got one award, I’d love to add this to the collection. It’s a big aim, but it’s something I’d love to achieve.
I do archery in my spare time and when I was younger, I actually shot for the England team. Although I don’t shoot now as much as I used to, it’s something that I’m hopefully going to get back into in the near future.
I like crafting, I try my hand at anything crafty that will keep me away from a screen, whether that’s painting or cross-stitch. Whatever it tends to be I usually get obsessed with it and then it moves on to the next thing, so literally anything craft related.
There’s a lot of research in terms of training, but there’s also that challenge of trying to get engagement from people. I think engagement can sometimes be quite difficult, especially when you want to shout about something. The challenge is trying to use new techniques to get people to engage, which I enjoy as its often so rewarding.
As a 'Junior/Mid-Level Developer I was told to always give something new a try. Say yes to the opportunities that are presented to you. When I was in that position, I didn’t necessarily think about it, but somebody mentioned it to me and then I was conscious to say yes to more things and challenges. I think that then helped me to challenge myself and try things in new areas that I may have otherwise not done beforehand, which has subsequently opened doors to do more roles and be more diverse in what I want to do.
Ask questions. Also, Google is your friend! It was funny, at Uni I was always told not to Google anything, and then when I started my first job, I used to just ask questions all the time, whereas everyone else was typing in the questions they wanted to know the answers to. So, my answer to that would be ask questions, and ask Google!
In this month’s feature, Jo shares insights into her professional journey, what drives her passion for building innovative solutions and a few fun facts about her life outside of work.
So, without further ado, let's find out more...
Here at Leighton, I’m in a dual role, as both an Accessibility Community Lead and a Technical Product Manager. With my Accessibility Community Lead hat on, I ensure that accessibility is at the forefront of Leighton’s culture, practices and products. I’m an internal advocate for accessibility, and I’m building a community around it to promote its importance across all teams from design and development to leadership as well as amongst our clients. With my Technical Product Manager hat on, I’m responsible for managing the roadmap of technical products or features, ensuring they align with customer needs, technical feasibility, and business objectives. I’m currently working on two products, the developer portal and backstage as a Technical Product Manager for one of our biggest clients, IAG Loyalty which is really exciting.
I joined Leighton just over 6 months ago. It’s funny, I was first offered a role in 2021, but didn’t accept the offer as it just wasn’t the right time for me. I’ve kept in touch with Leighton over the years, so when the opportunity came up again to join the team it felt right for me and the role they were offering definitely peaked my interest. The growth Leighton continues to go through, as well the new structure, was something that I definitely wanted to be a part of. It just felt like it was a really exciting time to join the business.
To be honest it wasn’t something that I originally saw myself doing. I went to Uni to do Computer Science and didn’t really know what I wanted to do after that, but soon after I did a placement with Accenture and realised I really enjoyed doing development and it basically grew from there. I ended up going from a Junior Dev to Senior Dev to then becoming a Tech Lead/Architect during various projects.
Being an advocate for accessibility and the importance of communication around that and also making sure I use the right terminology. I think being adaptable is so important when it comes to applying technical skills to a role. Having a solid understanding of programming languages and getting comfortable with different frameworks and technologies can really set you up for success. I’ve also learned that taking the time to understand accessibility standards, like WCAG, and how assistive technologies work makes a huge difference. It helps you create more inclusive, high-quality products and work better with your team. With accessibility, it can be quite difficult to navigate the language, you have to be empathetic for all users so you can understand their points of view. When you’re designing for users who use assistive technology, you’ve got to make sure there’s as much understanding as possible for challenges that may be faced throughout the full development lifecycle.
When I first joined Leighton, ‘Communities’ were just starting out, so there was a lot of work to look at what we wanted to achieve and build, but I think it’s been nice reaching those goals that we originally set out to do. Having also been made a part of the Operational Leadership Team has been important for me, as I feel I can have a positive impact across our consultants at Leighton.
Being named on the Futures List as part of the Northern Power Woman Awards which promotes gender equality throughout the North. This has opened a lot of doors for me that I didn’t initially expect. I think prior to that I was a woman in tech without actually thinking about what that meant, that was just my job. Whereas following on from that I now realise the importance and try and promote that where I can, like LinkedIn and various industry events. I feel like it also helps from a knowledge point of view for those who don’t actually realise why it is important to have perspectives from women in tech. I think that’s why it's one of my biggest achievement – because it’s had a wider impact for women in the community. I’ve also recently been accepted onto the Anthropy Emerging Leaders Programme for 2025, which is all about empowering young professionals in the early stages of their careers. I think this will be a really good opportunity for me in terms of exchanging ideas and hopefully building plenty of new connections with like-minded people.
The teamwork and the ability to help people. Making people’s lives easier, whether that’s through forward planning, giving people the right training, or making systems accessible and easier to use. I like being able to make things more efficient and essentially making people happier when they’re using whatever technology I’ve been involved in.
Dogs in the office! This was a game changer for me as it enabled me to finally get a puppy. The work-life balance is a big thing. Everyone talks about work-life balance, but Leighton encourages you to live life outside of work, even if that’s within ‘working hours’. I don’t have to feel guilty about attending an appointment, or taking a lunch break, or not attending a certain event. There’s a positive culture throughout Leighton around being able to live your life outside of work. You’re given the autonomy and trust to get your work done in a way that fits with your life outside of work and your other commitments.
The Web Summit in Lisbon was great. I really enjoyed the experience of being able to go to an international conference. I felt like I learnt a lot and had some key takeaways that I'll be able to feed back into the business and onto my customer projects. I really enjoy moments in the office as well. The team is spread across the UK, so it’s good to go into the office and see new faces every time. The simple things like going out for a drink or grabbing lunch with a colleague are really nice.
To get on to the next Power List – I would LOVE to get the next Northern Power Woman Award. Now I’ve got one award, I’d love to add this to the collection. It’s a big aim, but it’s something I’d love to achieve.
I do archery in my spare time and when I was younger, I actually shot for the England team. Although I don’t shoot now as much as I used to, it’s something that I’m hopefully going to get back into in the near future.
I like crafting, I try my hand at anything crafty that will keep me away from a screen, whether that’s painting or cross-stitch. Whatever it tends to be I usually get obsessed with it and then it moves on to the next thing, so literally anything craft related.
There’s a lot of research in terms of training, but there’s also that challenge of trying to get engagement from people. I think engagement can sometimes be quite difficult, especially when you want to shout about something. The challenge is trying to use new techniques to get people to engage, which I enjoy as its often so rewarding.
As a 'Junior/Mid-Level Developer I was told to always give something new a try. Say yes to the opportunities that are presented to you. When I was in that position, I didn’t necessarily think about it, but somebody mentioned it to me and then I was conscious to say yes to more things and challenges. I think that then helped me to challenge myself and try things in new areas that I may have otherwise not done beforehand, which has subsequently opened doors to do more roles and be more diverse in what I want to do.
Ask questions. Also, Google is your friend! It was funny, at Uni I was always told not to Google anything, and then when I started my first job, I used to just ask questions all the time, whereas everyone else was typing in the questions they wanted to know the answers to. So, my answer to that would be ask questions, and ask Google!
In this month’s feature, Jo shares insights into her professional journey, what drives her passion for building innovative solutions and a few fun facts about her life outside of work.
So, without further ado, let's find out more...
Here at Leighton, I’m in a dual role, as both an Accessibility Community Lead and a Technical Product Manager. With my Accessibility Community Lead hat on, I ensure that accessibility is at the forefront of Leighton’s culture, practices and products. I’m an internal advocate for accessibility, and I’m building a community around it to promote its importance across all teams from design and development to leadership as well as amongst our clients. With my Technical Product Manager hat on, I’m responsible for managing the roadmap of technical products or features, ensuring they align with customer needs, technical feasibility, and business objectives. I’m currently working on two products, the developer portal and backstage as a Technical Product Manager for one of our biggest clients, IAG Loyalty which is really exciting.
I joined Leighton just over 6 months ago. It’s funny, I was first offered a role in 2021, but didn’t accept the offer as it just wasn’t the right time for me. I’ve kept in touch with Leighton over the years, so when the opportunity came up again to join the team it felt right for me and the role they were offering definitely peaked my interest. The growth Leighton continues to go through, as well the new structure, was something that I definitely wanted to be a part of. It just felt like it was a really exciting time to join the business.
To be honest it wasn’t something that I originally saw myself doing. I went to Uni to do Computer Science and didn’t really know what I wanted to do after that, but soon after I did a placement with Accenture and realised I really enjoyed doing development and it basically grew from there. I ended up going from a Junior Dev to Senior Dev to then becoming a Tech Lead/Architect during various projects.
Being an advocate for accessibility and the importance of communication around that and also making sure I use the right terminology. I think being adaptable is so important when it comes to applying technical skills to a role. Having a solid understanding of programming languages and getting comfortable with different frameworks and technologies can really set you up for success. I’ve also learned that taking the time to understand accessibility standards, like WCAG, and how assistive technologies work makes a huge difference. It helps you create more inclusive, high-quality products and work better with your team. With accessibility, it can be quite difficult to navigate the language, you have to be empathetic for all users so you can understand their points of view. When you’re designing for users who use assistive technology, you’ve got to make sure there’s as much understanding as possible for challenges that may be faced throughout the full development lifecycle.
When I first joined Leighton, ‘Communities’ were just starting out, so there was a lot of work to look at what we wanted to achieve and build, but I think it’s been nice reaching those goals that we originally set out to do. Having also been made a part of the Operational Leadership Team has been important for me, as I feel I can have a positive impact across our consultants at Leighton.
Being named on the Futures List as part of the Northern Power Woman Awards which promotes gender equality throughout the North. This has opened a lot of doors for me that I didn’t initially expect. I think prior to that I was a woman in tech without actually thinking about what that meant, that was just my job. Whereas following on from that I now realise the importance and try and promote that where I can, like LinkedIn and various industry events. I feel like it also helps from a knowledge point of view for those who don’t actually realise why it is important to have perspectives from women in tech. I think that’s why it's one of my biggest achievement – because it’s had a wider impact for women in the community. I’ve also recently been accepted onto the Anthropy Emerging Leaders Programme for 2025, which is all about empowering young professionals in the early stages of their careers. I think this will be a really good opportunity for me in terms of exchanging ideas and hopefully building plenty of new connections with like-minded people.
The teamwork and the ability to help people. Making people’s lives easier, whether that’s through forward planning, giving people the right training, or making systems accessible and easier to use. I like being able to make things more efficient and essentially making people happier when they’re using whatever technology I’ve been involved in.
Dogs in the office! This was a game changer for me as it enabled me to finally get a puppy. The work-life balance is a big thing. Everyone talks about work-life balance, but Leighton encourages you to live life outside of work, even if that’s within ‘working hours’. I don’t have to feel guilty about attending an appointment, or taking a lunch break, or not attending a certain event. There’s a positive culture throughout Leighton around being able to live your life outside of work. You’re given the autonomy and trust to get your work done in a way that fits with your life outside of work and your other commitments.
The Web Summit in Lisbon was great. I really enjoyed the experience of being able to go to an international conference. I felt like I learnt a lot and had some key takeaways that I'll be able to feed back into the business and onto my customer projects. I really enjoy moments in the office as well. The team is spread across the UK, so it’s good to go into the office and see new faces every time. The simple things like going out for a drink or grabbing lunch with a colleague are really nice.
To get on to the next Power List – I would LOVE to get the next Northern Power Woman Award. Now I’ve got one award, I’d love to add this to the collection. It’s a big aim, but it’s something I’d love to achieve.
I do archery in my spare time and when I was younger, I actually shot for the England team. Although I don’t shoot now as much as I used to, it’s something that I’m hopefully going to get back into in the near future.
I like crafting, I try my hand at anything crafty that will keep me away from a screen, whether that’s painting or cross-stitch. Whatever it tends to be I usually get obsessed with it and then it moves on to the next thing, so literally anything craft related.
There’s a lot of research in terms of training, but there’s also that challenge of trying to get engagement from people. I think engagement can sometimes be quite difficult, especially when you want to shout about something. The challenge is trying to use new techniques to get people to engage, which I enjoy as its often so rewarding.
As a 'Junior/Mid-Level Developer I was told to always give something new a try. Say yes to the opportunities that are presented to you. When I was in that position, I didn’t necessarily think about it, but somebody mentioned it to me and then I was conscious to say yes to more things and challenges. I think that then helped me to challenge myself and try things in new areas that I may have otherwise not done beforehand, which has subsequently opened doors to do more roles and be more diverse in what I want to do.
Ask questions. Also, Google is your friend! It was funny, at Uni I was always told not to Google anything, and then when I started my first job, I used to just ask questions all the time, whereas everyone else was typing in the questions they wanted to know the answers to. So, my answer to that would be ask questions, and ask Google!
