Wendy Alexander
The Baroness Alexander of Cleveden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Official portrait, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Scottish Labour Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 14 September 2007 – 28 June 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Cathy Jamieson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK party leader | Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jack McConnell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Iain Gray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 3 February 2025 Life Peerage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for Paisley North | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 May 1999 – 22 March 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Constituency established | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 27 June 1963 Glasgow, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Douglas Alexander (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow University of Warwick INSEAD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wendy Cowan Alexander, Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (born 27 June 1963) is a retired Scottish politician and the former Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Paisley North. She held various Scottish Government cabinet posts and was the Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2007 to 2008. In June 2008, the Scottish Parliament's standards committee ruled that Wendy Alexander broke parliament rules by failing to register donations on her MSPs' register of interests. Wendy Alexander quit as Scottish Labour leader. In 2010–2011 she convened the Scotland Bill Committee on financial powers of the Scottish Parliament.
After leaving politics, she was appointed Associate Dean of Global Business and Associate Dean for Degree Programmes and Career Services at the London Business School. From 2015 to late 2024 she was Vice-Principal (International) and Professor of International Education by the University of Dundee.
In March 2016 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh for her work for the university sector. On 30 November 2017, she was appointed as the Scottish Government Trade and Investment Envoy for Higher Education.
Alexander is a member of UK Government's DIT/DfE Education Sector Advisory Group and chairs the Global Advisory Board of the Times Higher Education Student.