Andrea Leadsom

Andrea’s career began in the banking and finance industry with roles at Wood Gundy Calatchi China Investments, EF Hutton and BZW before joining Barclays, where she would become Financial Institutions Director managing the bank’s global relationships within the banking sector, then Head of Euro Product Strategy, Payments and Cash Management Services, leading Barclays' payments project to prepare for the advent of the Euro.

She left the Barclays Group to become Managing Director of a start-up London based funds management company, DPFM, where she led the marketing and recruitment as well as business management.

In 1999, Andrea moved to a part time role as Head of Corporate Governance and Senior Investment Officer at Invesco Perpetual, one of the UK's largest retail fund managers, to achieve a better balance with her family responsibilities.

Alongside her business career, in 2001 Andrea became Chairman of Trustees of a children's charity, the Oxford Parent Infant Project, which helps families that are struggling to form a secure bond with their new babies. Andrea is hugely passionate about early years support for children and babies, and later in 2011 established the Northamptonshire Parent Infant Partnership and in 2012 established PIP UK, a new charitable foundation to offer practical and financial support for the establishment of new PIPs around the country.

In 2010, Andrea was elected as Member of Parliament for South Northamptonshire with a majority of over 20,000. Upon entering Parliament, Andrea was elected to the Treasury Select Committee, where she remained for four years. She held posts as Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sure Starts, and Founding Chairman of the APPG on the 1001 Critical Days - conception to age two; she launched the  1001 Critical Days Manifesto  as a cross party campaign in 2012.

During this time, she was also founder and co-Chairman with a Labour MP of the APPG for European Reform and founded the Fresh Start Project in Parliament that worked towards establishing a new relationship between Britain and the EU.

In April 2014, Andrea joined the Government as Economic Secretary to the Treasury, with responsibility for Financial Services, and in 2015 she was promoted to Minister of State at the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Andrea campaigned strongly for the UK to leave the EU during the referendum period of 2016. She stood for the leadership of the Conservative Party after the resignation of David Cameron as Prime Minister and was one of the final two candidates chosen by Conservative MPs, but withdrew from the leadership election to avoid the protracted uncertainty for the economy of a nine week leadership campaign

Andrea was appointed to the post of Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in Theresa May's first Cabinet as Prime Minister in July 2016.

Following the 2017 General Election, Andrea was made Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House in June 2017.

In May 2019, Andrea resigned from her role in the Government and fought the subsequent leadership election to replace Theresa May. Following Boris Johnson’s victory, Andrea was appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in July 2019.

Andrea’s vast experience encompasses the City, the charity sector and Parliament, enabling her to speak with authority across a range of topics:

• Business, finance and the economy
• Green growth, climate change, COP26 and net zero
• Corporate governance reform and culture change
• Infant mental health
• Female entrepreneurship

Current affairs and the political landscape, including Britain’s future outside the EU.

For further information call us on +44 (0)20 7607 7070 or email  info@speakerscorner.co.uk .

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