Judith Cochrane (born 31 October 1975) is an
Alliance Party politician from
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
who was a member of
Northern Ireland Assembly for the
East Belfast constituency from 2011 to 2016.
Early life
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
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, type = Voluntary grammar
, religion = Interdenominational
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, chair_label = Chairwoman
, chair = Revd. Dr Janet Unsworth
, founder ...
. 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
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Electoral history
Prior to her election as MLA, Cochrane served as a Councillor on
Castlereagh Borough Council Castlereagh may refer to:
People
* Marquess of Londonderry, subsidiary title Viscount Castlereagh, used as courtesy title for the Marquess's eldest son; in particular
** Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh (1769–1822), later 2nd Marquess of Lo ...
between 2005 and 2011 and worked in the Department for Social Development and as a Management Consultant for SMEs in Northern Ireland.
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 th
Northern Ireland Assembly and Business Trust
In addition to her duties at
Stormont, Cochrane ran her own constituency office on the Upper Newtownards Road in
Ballyhackamore.
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
Naomi Rachel Long MLA (née Johnston; born 13 December 1971) is a Northern Irish politician who served as Minister of Justice in the Northern Ireland Executive from January 2020 to October 2022. She has served as leader of the Alliance Party ...
replaced her on the ballot.
Personal life
Cochrane is married to Jonathan with whom she has two children. The family reside in East Belfast and actively attend Bloomfield Presbyterian Church.
References
External links
Link to official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cochrane, Judith
1975 births
Living people
Female members of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland MLAs
Alumni of Queen's University Belfast
Alumni of Robert Gordon University
People educated at Methodist College Belfast
Members of Castlereagh Borough Council
Women councillors in Northern Ireland