Haywood is managing director of Advanced Oxford, a not-for-profit group of senior leaders from Oxfordshire’s major knowledge-intensive businesses, working together to support the long-term development of the Oxford region as a dynamic and prosperous place to work and live. She joined Advanced Oxford in July, 2019.  She sits on the advisory boards for TheHill Oxford, the University of Oxford IDEA programme and the Chemistry Department, Imperial College. Haywood studied biology at the University of Oxford and also has a post-graduate diploma in management (health) and an MA in human resources management and strategy. She is a chartered fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and regularly works as a mentor across a number of innovation related programmes. Haywood was named on the Progress 1,000 for 2019, The Evening Standard’s list of the most influential people in London, for her work with MedCity, the life sciences cluster organisation for London, which she helped to set up.