After graduating from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Dan joined the British Army in 1996. Following training at Sandhurst, Dan was commissioned into The Parachute Regiment. He subsequently deployed to Kosovo, Northern Ireland, briefly to Sierra Leone, and on numerous occasions to Iraq and Afghanistan, where he served as a Company Commander with the Special Forces Support Group.

In 2011, Dan was elected as the MP for Barnsley Central – becoming the first person since the Second World War to resign a commission to contest a parliamentary by-election. In the House of Commons, Dan has sat on the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy and the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, and held several shadow ministerial roles. He also served as the Labour Party’s lead for the 100th anniversary of the First World War commemorations and passed a Private Members’ Bill that changed the law on organ donation.

In 2018, Dan was elected the inaugural Mayor of South Yorkshire. As Mayor, he was responsible for economic regeneration, public transport and adult education across South Yorkshire. He stepped down from role at the recent local elections.

Dan is a trustee of the Speaker’s Parliamentary Placement Scheme, a social mobility programme designed to widen access to parliament by offering paid internships to those who may not have access via traditional routes.

In his spare time, Dan enjoys keeping chickens, walking, and running in the countryside, supporting his local youth choir and Barnsley FC. He has completed the Marathon des Sables, has run eight London marathons to raise money for Cancer Research UK and his local hospice, and is a big supporter of Parkrun. He lives in Barnsley with his wife, three children and their dog. He published his book, Long Way Home in 2020.

Dan Jarvis’s top leadership tip is that times can and will be tough. Love, life and death, and all the stuff in between, will present challenges, and opportunities. But if you keep calm, keep going and, where you can, keep a smile on your face, it’s remarkable what can be achieved. And if all else fails, put the kettle on and have a hot brew. It always helps.

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