Photo credit: John SwannellCherie Blair

Founder
Cherie Blair Foundation for Women

Wife of the former British Prime Minister, leading barrister and committed campaigner for women’s equality, Cherie Blair is founder and patron of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, a charity that provides integrated business development support for women entrepreneurs in developing and transition countries.

Launched in 2008, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women was set up in response to Cherie’s experiences meeting women around the world and the realisation that, with the right support, women can overcome the challenges they face and play an important part in the economies and societies in which they work and live.  For more information: www.cherieblairfoundation.org

Cherie studied law at the London School of Economics and was called to the Bar in 1976. Her fellow trainee at her first chambers was Tony Blair. The couple married in 1980 and have four children. Cherie became a Queens Counsel in 1995 and sits as a Recorder, as part-time judges are known, and is also an accredited mediator. In 2007, she was awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill medal in recognition of her high ideals and courageous actions.  Cherie also holds Honorary Degrees at the Open University and Liverpool Hope University.

As well as fighting for human rights in her professional career, Cherie is an active campaigner on equality and human rights issues. In addition to founding her own charity, Cherie is closely involved with over 20 charities with a special emphasis on those working with women, and children, and with those based on Merseyside. She is Honorary Vice President of Barnados, President of the Loomba Foundation, Ambassador for Scope, Trustee of Africa Justice Foundation and Patron of a number of charities, including Breast Cancer Care and SolarAid.