Judith Cochrane

Judith Cochrane
Judith Cochrane
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly; for Belfast East
	In office; 5 May 2011 – 5 May 2016
Preceded by	Dawn Purvis
Succeeded by	Naomi Long
Member of Castlereagh Borough Council
	In office; 5 May 2005 – 22 May 2014
Preceded by	Peter Osborne
Succeeded by	Council abolished
Constituency	Castlereagh East
Personal details
Born	31 October 1975 (age 48); Bloomfield, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Political party	Alliance
Spouse	Jonny Cochrane
Children	2
Alma mater	Robert Gordon University ; Queen's University Belfast
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Management consultant
Website	MLA website

Judith Cochrane (born 31 October 1975) is an Alliance Party politician from Northern Ireland who was a member of Northern Ireland Assembly for the East Belfast constituency from 2011 to 2016.^[2]^[3]

Early life[edit]

Cochrane is a lifelong resident of East Belfast, having been born and raised in Bloomfield and educated at Strandtown Primary School and Methodist College Belfast. After earning her Bachelor's in Nutrition at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, she returned to Belfast to complete her Master's in Business Administration at Queen's University, Belfast.^[1]

Electoral history[edit]

Prior to her election as MLA, Cochrane served as a Councillor on Castlereagh Borough Council between 2005 and 2011 and worked in the Department for Social Development and as a Management Consultant for SMEs in Northern Ireland.^[1]

During her term at Stormont, Cochrane sat on the Finance and Personnel Committee and was a member of the Assembly Commission. She founded the All Party Group on SMEs and was a member of the All Party Group on Cancer, the All Party Group on Tourism, and the All Party Group on Rugby, which she co-founded and served on as vice chair.

She was also the present Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Business Trust.^[4]

In addition to her duties at Stormont, Cochrane ran her own constituency office on the Upper Newtownards Road in Ballyhackamore.^[1]

Cochrane chose not to seek reelection, and stood down ahead of the Northern Ireland Assembly election in 2016, Former MLA and MP for East Belfast Naomi Long replaced her on the ballot.^[5]

Personal life[edit]

Cochrane is married to Jonathan with whom she has two children. The family reside in East Belfast and actively attend Bloomfield Presbyterian Church.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "JudithCochrane.com". Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
^ Sharon Ferguson (9 May 2011). "Out with the old and in with the new at Stormont". BBC News. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
^ "Robinson rules out Westminster bid". The Belfast Telegraph. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
^ "AllianceParty.org".^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "NI Assembly election: Who is stepping down from Stormont?". BBC News. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.

External links[edit]

Link to official website

Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by Dawn Purvis	MLA for East Belfast 2011–2016	Succeeded by Naomi Long

[judithcochrane-1] "JudithCochrane.com". Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.

[2] Sharon Ferguson (9 May 2011). "Out with the old and in with the new at Stormont". BBC News. Retrieved 9 May 2011.

[3] "Robinson rules out Westminster bid". The Belfast Telegraph. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2011.

[4] "AllianceParty.org".^{[permanent dead link]}

[5] "NI Assembly election: Who is stepping down from Stormont?". BBC News. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.

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