Sarah Cossey

Sarah is a professional accountant and project manager with extensive experience across the public and private sector. Sarah spent nine years in finance and audit within local government and the NHS. She then moved to the Cabinet Office as part of the Senior Management Team of the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) in 1998 to lead the finance and business support team.

Sarah joined the Earlham Institute in 2011, taking up her current position in 2014. She is a member of the Executive Team and supports the Board of Trustees as Company Secretary. 

As Chief Operating Officer Sarah leads on all operational activities at the Institute, working with colleagues across the Norwich Bioscience Institutes Partnership to ensure effective and responsible management of financial, legal, and health and safety policies.

Working with the Senior Management Team, Sarah oversees the Advanced Training, Business Development, and Public Affairs divisions, as well as Communications and Laboratory Management, and the Institute's programme of work to foster best practice in Inclusion, Equality, Diversity, and Accessibility (IDEA). 

Prior to joining the Earlham Institute, Sarah spent three years managing a large team within the private sector, in a regional media company, leading a shared finance service through significant change. Sarah is a qualified PRINCE II project manager and has managed projects including the merger of two government departments, the implementation of new IT systems and major organisational change. Sarah has successfully delivered considerable efficiency savings, both within the public and private sectors, and improved service delivery.