I grew up in North Somerset and was educated at my excellent local school, Nailsea Comprehensive. In 1982 I went to Brasenose College Oxford and left with a degree in Geography in 1985.  I was the first person in my family to stay on at school beyond the age of 16 and as a result I am passionately committed to ensuring all children receive the best possible education that can be provided.   At Oxford I was also awarded two rowing Blues.

After University I worked for Bank of America for three years and then went to Harvard Business School where I received a Masters in Business Administration in 1990.   I then had a business career in the United States and Britain working for McKinsey and Company and Credit Suisse and I also started my own small company offering financial advice for women.   I moved with my family to Wiltshire in 2000 when I stopped paid work to bring up our (then) small children but remained actively involved in fundraising for local schools, theatres and hospitals.  In 2007 I began working for George Osborne, now Chancellor of the Exchequer, as a Political Adviser and continued in that role until May 2010 when I was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Devizes Constituency with a majority of more than 13,000 and over 55 per cent of the vote. 

Since coming to Westminster I have been elected by fellow MPs to the Justice Select Committee, represented Britain at the Council of Europe and in October 2011 was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Philip Hammond, the Secretary of State for Defence.  I also lead a Parliamentary team conducting a review of On-Line child protection, chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Connecting Communities, am Vice-Chair of the APPG for Penal Reform and am a member of many other APPGs including for the Armed Forces, Child Protection, International Development, Churches and Historic Places of Worship, Rural Affairs and Save the Pub. Locally, I am a Governor both of St. Johns school in Marlborough and the Wellington Academy in Ludgershall.

In my free time, I read, walk and cycle with my family.