Conference Speakers   Wendy Alexander Member of the Scottish Parliament

Wendy Alexander has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since the Parliament was created, and served as a Minister for four years, in a variety of departments. She is currently a member of the Education and the Finance Committees and is particularly interested in taking a long-term look at Scotland's future and how to create a smart, successful Scottish economy. A graduate from Glasgow and Warwick Universities, Wendy Alexander also holds an MBA from INSEAD Business School. In May 1999 she was elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Constituency of Paisley North. From 1999 to 2000 she was Minister for Communities in the Scottish Executive, from 2000 to 2001 Scottish Executive Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, and from 2001 to May 2002 Scottish Executive Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning. Since September 2002 she has been a Visiting Professor at Strathclyde University Business School.

In the decade before she was elected, Wendy worked in the private, voluntary and public sectors and in the 1990s she worked for an international management consultancy, covering four continents. Wendy is married to Brian Ashcroft. Away from politics she is a keen, if amateur ornithologist, regarding the peace and quiet as a perfect tonic to the political world. As constituency MSP for the communities of Linwood, Renfrew and part of Paisley she and her staff run a busy constituency office and hold weekly surgeries.