Esther McVey (b. 24 October 1967, Liverpool, England, UK) BritishLaw graduate, businesswoman and Conservative Parliamentary candidate who began her working career in the restaurant sector before embarking on a 15-year career in the media.

She was educated in Liverpool at The Belvedere Academy. She has worked in the family business all her life before setting up her own company. As a long standing friend of Kate McCann - they met aged 18 at Northeast Technical College - Esther helped the family set up the Madeleine McCann Fund and remained part of the board for 8 monthsMadeleline McCann Fund blank">http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1283762,00.html?f=dta Esther is founder of the business network Winning Women and has just started a part time Msc in Corporate Governance at Liverpool JM University

McVey has presented and produced a vast range of programmes, co-hosting _GMTV 'How Do They Do That' BBC1's science entertainment series, 5's Company, The Heaven and Earth Show, Shopping City, BBC2's Youth current affairs programme Reportage, and Channel4's Nothing But The Truth with Ann Widdecombe. She also took part in Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues at the Empire Theatre Liverpool along side Jean Bolt and Anita Dobson.

She works closely with Gee Walker, the mother of murdered teenager Anthony Walker, and helped set up the Anthony Walker Citizenship Awards and the annual Ball

She is Patron of Wirral Holistic Cancer Care and succeeded in getting a very generous donation, this year 2008, so enabling the Charity to build a new family room.

Esther was nominated for both Merseyside Woman of the Year and Cheshire Woman of the Year 2004/5