Cheryl Gillan

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Cheryl Elise Kendall Gillan (born 21 April, 1952) British politician. She is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Chesham and Amersham and Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.

Born in Llandaff, Cardiff, Cheryl Gillan is the daughter of a British Army officer, she was educated at the Cheltenham Ladies' College, the College of Law, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Gillan joined the International Management Group in 1977 before becoming a director with the British Film Year in 1984. In 1986 she was appointed as a senior marketing consultant at Ernst & Young, becoming marketing director with Kidsons Impey 1991-3. She became a Freeman of the City of London in 1991 and is a member of the Worshipful Company of Marketors.

She was the chairwoman of the Bow Group in 1988, and unsuccessfully contested the central Manchester seat at the European Parliament election in 1989. She was elected to the House of Commons at the 1992 General Election for the Buckinghamshire seat of Chesham and Amersham following the retirement of the sitting MP Ian Gilmour. She won the seat with a majority of 22,220 and has remained the MP there since. She made her maiden speech on June 25, 1992 (see ([link]).

In parliament she was a member of the science and technology select committee from 1992, and was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the House of Lords Robert Cranborne in 1994.

She entered the government of John Major in 1995 at the then Department for Education and Employment. In opposition she was a spokeswoman on trade and industry, until moved by William Hague to speak on international development.

From 2001 Gillan served in the whip's office throughout the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith. She became a spokeswoman on constitutional affairs under Michael Howard in 2003, moving to speak on home affairs in 2004.

She entered the first shadow cabinet of David Cameron in 2005 as the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales (see [link]).

Gillan has been married to John Coates Leeming since 1985 and they have two sons. She was mugged in 1997 and chased her assailant in her stockinged-feet. She enjoys golf.

External links

[link] ePolitix.com - Cheryl Gillan MP official site
[link] Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Cheryl Gillan MP
[link] TheyWorkForYou.com - Cheryl Gillan MP
[link] The Public Whip - Cheryl Gillan MP voting record
[link] BBC News - Cheryl Gillan profile 10 February, 2005

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