Kirsty Williams MS

Kirsty Williams was a Member of the National Assembly for Wales between May 1999 and April 2021. This was her biography at the time she left.

Personal history

Kirsty was born in Taunton to Welsh parents and, from the age of three, grew up in Bynea in Camarthenshire. Kirsty lives on the family farm just outside Brecon with her husband and three young daughters.

She was educated at the village primary school in Carmarthenshire and then at St Michael’s School in Llanelli.

Professional background

Kirsty studied at Manchester University and the University of Missouri, before working at Carmarthenshire College and for a small business in Cardiff as a Marketing Executive.

Political history

Kirsty Williams was first elected to the Assembly in May 1999. She became the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats in December 2008 and, at the time, she was the first female leader of any of the four main Welsh political parties. She has chaired the Health and Social Services, Standards of Conduct and Sustainability Committees.

Kirsty was Minister for Education during the Fifth Senedd.