A former management consultant and BBC and HTV journalist, she worked on the BBC's World at One and PM programmes before becoming an assistant to Gordon Brown MP in 1992. and policy adviser and speechwriter to the former Labour leader John Smith, 1992–1994, having joined the Labour Party in 1984.
A seasoned professional with a background in management consulting and journalism, she held roles at the BBC before working as an aide to Gordon Brown MP in 1992. She also served as a policy expert and speechwriter for Labour Party leader John Smith from 1992 to 1994, after becoming a party member in 1984.