Tina McKenzie (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tina McKenzie MBE
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1973 (age 51–52) Belfast, Northern Ireland
|
| Alma mater | University of Ulster |
| Occupation |
|
| Children | 3 |
Tina McKenzie MBE was born in 1973 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is a successful businesswoman and used to be involved in politics. The letters MBE after her name mean she received a special award from the King for her services to the economy.
Early Life and Education
Tina McKenzie studied at the University of Ulster. After finishing her studies, she started her career helping people get new job skills. She worked with groups like NIACRO and Extern to help people who had been in trouble find work.
She continued her education at different business schools. These included Tilburg University Business School and IESE Business School. She also studied at the William J. Clinton Leadership Institute in Queen's University Belfast.
Her Time in Politics
In 2013, Tina McKenzie moved back to Northern Ireland. She started a company called Staffline Group (Ireland). Soon after, she joined a new political party called NI21. She became the first leader of this party.
Tina believed that Northern Ireland should stay part of the United Kingdom. She thought this was important mainly for economic reasons.
In 2014, NI21 chose Tina to run for the European election. She wanted to help Northern Ireland in Europe. Her goal was to create more jobs and help the economy grow. She also ran for a local council seat in Belfast. She did not win either election.
After the election night, some people left the party. Tina McKenzie also resigned because of problems within the party. She later said she was disappointed with politics and decided to leave it.
Her Business Career
In 2017, Tina McKenzie became the Honorary Consul to Finland in Belfast. This means she helps build connections between Finland and Northern Ireland. She works to improve business, political, and cultural ties. She also looks after the rights of Finnish citizens in the area.
The same year, she became the chair of the NI Policy Forum for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Northern Ireland. This made her one of four women leading the main business groups in Northern Ireland. Before this, she was a director for the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).
In 2018, Tina McKenzie spoke to the House of Lords. She talked about how Brexit (the UK leaving the European Union) would affect businesses in Northern Ireland.
Later, as chair of the FSB, she suggested making Northern Ireland a special economic zone. This would allow free trade between the EU and the UK. In September 2018, she and the FSB shared a plan for Northern Ireland to become an 'Enhanced Economic Zone' after Brexit.
In 2021, Tina McKenzie became a visiting professor at Ulster University's Business School. In 2023, she was named one of the most influential people in UK politics by Politico. They called her a very effective business lobbyist from Northern Ireland. She also received an MBE award from the King for her work helping the economy in Northern Ireland.
In February 2024, she joined the Department of Business and Trade Small Business Council.
Personal Life
Tina McKenzie is married and has three children.
