Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted

Somewhat belated congratulations to local resident and Liberal Democrat, Sharon Bowles, who was proposed as a member of the House of Lords in the Dissolution Honours List last year.

Sharon, who lives in Bourne End in Hertfordshire, near Berkhamsted has been Liberal Democrat campaigner and parliamentary candidate in neighbouring Aylesbury since the 1980s. She has also been an activist and campaigner in Eastleigh and became an MEP for the South East in 2005 where she served with Catherine Bearder MEP.

Sharon served as an MEP for 9 years and became Chair of the European Parliament's Economic & Monetary Affairs Committee in 2009.

This powerful committee is responsible for financial regulation, the free movement of capital and payments, tax provisions, competition and currency.

Sharon is the first Liberal and the first Briton ever to Chair this key committee.

Her contribution to European finance and her support for the City and the British Economy were both recognised when she was short-listed for the post of Governor of the Bank of England in 2012.

Sharon Bowles was described by the Guardian as the most influential Briton in the development of European Union policy, and also in the financial press as one of the top ten most influential regulators in the European Union, and its most influential woman.

Sharon is now a non-executive director of London Stock Exchange plc and is playing an active role in the Remain In Campaign.