Baroness Goudie

Baroness Goudie "has been a member of the House of Lords since 1998 when she was appointed a life peer. She has held senior positions in the Parliamentary Labour Party in the House of Lords and is a senior member of the British Irish Inter-Parliamentary Committee in the House of Lords and a former member of the Communications Committee, the Procedures Committee and the European Committee on Law and the Constitution. The Baroness is Vice Chair of All-Party Identity Fraud Committee and led the campaign for ratification of the United Nations Treaty on Human Trafficking and a subsequent Treaty of the Council of Europe on Human Trafficking.

"Since 2000, she has been a patron of the Community Foundation of Northern Ireland which benefits numerous charities, especially those focused on assisting women and children. She has raised more than £6m for the initial endowment and has recently led a follow-on campaign to ensure sustainability.

"In Scotland, Baroness Goudie has served on the governing Board of Napier University where she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree in 1999, and she was a member of the Board of the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow. She has been included in the 'List of Most Important Women in Scotland' published by the leading Scottish newspapers.

"Baroness Goudie has a long history working to build the Labour Party during the 18 years when it was not the ruling Party, and has worked with leading members of the party in all general election campaigns since 1983.

"In 1971, Baroness Goudie became the youngest woman elected to the London Borough of Brent Council. During her time on the Borough Council she worked to advance the Campaign for a Housing Aid Centre and Law Centre.

"Outside government, she has a consultancy practice where she has provided strategic counselling to more than 25 large companies, organisations and proffessional services firms and she has directed a wide range of public affairs assignments.

"She is also actively engaged in numerous philanthropic organizations including her role as a member of the Board of Directors of Vital Voices Global Partnership, a trustee of Piggybankkids, a trustee for Share Gift and Chair of the Women Leaders' Council to Fight Human Trafficking at UN. Gift. She launched the global initiative to fight human trafficking in March 2007.

"Baroness Mary Goudie is married with two sons and resides in London, Glasgow and Cape Cod, Massachusetts."


 * Former Ambassador, WWF-UK