Silvana Koch-Mehrin

Her professional life began in 1998 when she co-founded the public affairs consultancy Conseillé+Partners with Frank Schwalba-Hoth. Her political ascent was rapid; in 1999 she joined the federal party executive under Wolfgang Gerhardt, and by 2004 she was the FDP's top candidate for the European elections under Guido Westerwelle's leadership. That campaign brought the party back into the European Parliament with seven seats. During her time as an MEP, she worked on the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Budgetary Control, and the delegation for relations with Maghreb countries. She also served as Vice Chairwoman of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe until May 2011. Her work extended beyond parliament, as she represented the EU on the W20 executive board, advised the Council of Women World Leaders, and joined the Young Global Leaders Network of the World Economic Forum.

Her career was not without controversy, however. In 2011, her doctoral thesis was scrutinized by VroniPlag, which found substantial plagiarism. The University of Heidelberg rescinded her doctorate, and she stepped down from several party and parliamentary roles. She also faced criticism from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung over her debate attendance, though she successfully challenged their figures. In 2013, she founded WIP, the Women in Parliaments Global Forum, to support female political leadership worldwide. She has been married to James Candon, with whom she has three daughters, and in 2020 she received a breast cancer diagnosis.