Meet Harriett
Harriett was selected as Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire in July 2006. She is the oldest child of Jane and Tony Eggleston OBE. Harriett was born in Hertfordshire and spent her early childhood in Cyprus. Harriett grew up in the village of Felsted in the heart of rural Essex, where her father was headmaster of the local school. Harriett read Modern Languages (French and Russian) at Oxford, receiving First Class Honours and obtained an MBA from McGill University in Canada.
Harriett is married to Jim Baldwin, a businessman and television producer. Jim is also a social and industrial historian whose interests include canals, bridges and steam trains. Between them, they have two daughters and a son. The youngest was born in 1995. Over the years, their home in the Teme Valley has hosted various events to benefit local charities.
Harriett's Experience
Harriett has enjoyed a successful 20 year career in finance, specialising in currency markets for pension funds. She was on the National Council of Business for Sterling. She fought Stockton North for the Conservatives in 2005, gaining a 3.6% swing. Her motivation for going into politics was that she could see that Gordon Brown as Chancellor had set Britain on an unsustainable financial path.
As well as being an active Conservative campaigner, Harriett champions a range of charities that help Make Poverty History by giving communities the chance to help themselves. Two examples are Opportunity International which is active in micro-finance in poor countries and CAMFED which helps educate African girls at secondary level. She is Vice Chair of the Board of the Social Investment Business and Chairs the Investment Committee. The Social Investment Business helps charities and social enterprises with finance.
Locally, Harriett supports many charities. She is a Home-Start volunteer, a Friend of Community Action, the Nora Parsons Day Centre, the League of Friends of Malvern, Tenbury and Pershore hospitals, a member of local Civic Societies and FOAG, to name a few. She is also Vice Chair of the Governors at Hallow Church of England Primary School.
Harriett has always worked to encourage more women to get involved in politics and to work in financial services. She was a Changemaker for the charity "Working Families", which campaigns for more workplace flexibility.
In 2005, Harriett helped to publish a study for the Centre for Policy Studies - "Leviathan is still at large" - on the impact of regulation by the Financial Services Agency on the City. Harriett is also a supporter and fundraiser for the Centre for Social Justice, which works with charities that fight poverty in the UK. She has also helped to write Conservative policy on the social enterprise sector and has chaired ACEVO's response.
Conservatives - Working for West Worcestershire
Harriett joins Sir Michael Spicer and Bill Wiggin in campaigning on the issues that matter to the people of West Worcestershire, from Pershore to Bredon, from Upton to the Teme Valley and Tenbury Wells and from Malvern to Kempsey. A major campaign success has been the new Malvern Hospital and several flood defence projects. As an enthusiast for all aspects of country life, Harriett works with West Worcestershire Conservatives to help campaign on behalf of our local farmers, who have been so badly treated by Labour and by DEFRA’s incompetence over the single farm payment. She also welcomes David Cameron’s increased focus on the environment, so important in this area of natural beauty with its low-lying flood plains. She is actively fighting against the 25,500 homes in the Regional Spatial Strategy. She is working with the Environment Agency and local councils for better flood defences at Upton-upon-Severn, Kempsey, Pershore, Tenbury Wells, Powick and Sedgeberrow, to name but a few.
