Evening Standard names GDST CEO Cheryl Giovannoni as one of the most influential people in education

Cheryl Giovannoni, Chief Executive of the Girls’ Day School Trust, has been named by the Evening Standard as one of the 11 most influential people in education. The recognition comes as part of the publication’s Progress 1000 initiative, celebrating the most influential and talented individuals in London.

The list also features GDST alumnae including Cressida Dick, Met Police Commissioner, Meg Hillier, Chairwoman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee and Bettany Hughes, the Historian and Broadcaster. Former GDST Trustee Paula Nickolds, Managing Director of John Lewis was also named on the list.

Cheryl was born and brought up in South Africa and has a BA in English, Communication and Psychology from the University of South Africa.

During her career at WPP she ran three of its companies, most recently Ogilvy & Mather, the advertising agency. Before this, she was European President of Landor Associates, a global brand consulting firm, where she was responsible for managing seven units across the region and worked with clients including P&G, Diageo and Kraft.

Cheryl supports many young women, either informally as their mentor or through programmes run by WACL (Women in Advertising and Communication London).