About Sharon Bowles
Sharon became a member of the European Parliament in May 2005, and was re-elected, top of the Lib Dem list, in June 2009.
At the start of her second term in Parliament in 2009, she made history by being elected as the first Liberal and first Briton to Chair the Parliament's influential Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON).
Sharon was re-elected Chair of ECON in January 2012 and will serve in this role until the end of the parliamentary term in 2014.
Date and Place of Birth:
12 June 1953, Oxford
Education:
Our Lady's Convent, Abingdon; Reading University (Chemical Physics with Mathematics); Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University (research into semiconductors)
Professional Qualifications:
Chartered Patent Attorney; Registered Trade Mark Agent; European Patent Attorney ; Professional Representative before the Office for Harmonization of the Single Market (European Trade Mark and Designs Office)
Career:
After training for professional qualification with leading London firms, established new professional practice in 1981, now the Bowles Horton partnership. Has drafted and prosecuted patents for leading edge companies over a wide range of technical fields including integrated circuit design and production, internet technology, satellite equipment, telecommunications, optical fibre technology, fermentation measurement, aerodynamics and hydrocarbon extraction.
European Parliament:
Sharon has been a full member of the Economic and Monetary Affairs committee since her arrival as an MEP in May 2005; following her re-election in 2009 Sharon was elected as Chairwoman.
Sharon has also been a substitute member of the Legal Affairs committee since January 2007. In February 2006 she was central in the formation of the Committee of Inquiry into the crisis of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. She is now a member of the Financial and Economic Crisis committee.
As shadow rapporteur for ALDE, Sharon has been a key player in the Payment Services Directive (PSD) negotiations. As rapporteur she led for the Parliament on fiscal fraud and was shadow rapporteur on Solvency II. However, her technical and professional experience has meant she has been involved in a range of matters spread over many other committees. She took an active part in the latter stages of the debate on Computer Implemented Inventions and has been closely following all matters relating to Intellectual Property.
Political:
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Aylesbury, 1992 and 1997; Liberal Democrat European Candidate for Buckinghamshire and Oxford East, 1994; became MEP for SE region, May 2005, re-elected June 2009.
Co-Chair of Liberal Democrat International Relations Committee, elected Vice-President and bureau member of ELDR Party in 2004 and Vice-President of Liberal International in 2005.
Co-Founder of the Association of Liberal Democrat Engineers and Scientists; Member of Anti-Slavery International.
Personal:
Married to Andrew Horton (European Patent Attorney), with sons Remy (1981) and Damian (1982). Remy works as a software developer following completion of a PhD in wireless internet technology at Bristol University. Damian, a graduate mathematician (Oxford) with MSc in industrial mathematics at Bristol University, works in the City as a bonds analyst having formerly worked in environmental engineering.
Sharon has competed at national/international level in rowing and archery.
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