Jean Smith has an MA in Geography and Psychology from Dundee University (Scotland), an MSC in Physical Geography from the University of Toronto, Canada and a postgraduate business diploma. She joined the MOD Mapping and Charting Establishment (now the Defence Geographic Centre) in August 1981 as a map researcher and has specialised in geographic research and terrain analysis among a number of posts during her career. She spent 7 years in York as a corporate planner and manager of a private business college between 1995 and 2002. She has led elements of DGC’s geographic research activities since November 2005 and has headed DGC’s Human Geography team since its inception in 2008, working closely with UK and international partners to develop human geography approaches to complement other foundation data. Jean is a Chartered Geographer, a member of the Institute of Management and was awarded an MBE in June 2009