Tina McKenzie (politician)

In 2017 McKenzie was appointed the Honorary Consul to Finland in Belfast.^[11] Her consular roles include promoting economic, political, academic and cultural relations between the Nordic region and Northern Ireland, and monitoring the rights of Finnish citizens in the area.^[12] In this role, McKenzie introduced Irish President Michael D. Higgins when he delivered the Harri Holkeri Lecture at Queen's University Belfast in 2018.^[13] The same year, McKenzie was appointed the chair of the NI Policy Forum for the Federation of Small Businesses in Northern Ireland.^[14] McKenzie's appointment to the role ensured that Northern Ireland's four key business lobby groups—the Institute of Directors, the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry and the FSB—were all headed by women.^[15] McKenzie previously held the position of Regional Director (Northern Ireland) for the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), the governing body of the recruitment industry.^[16]

In January 2018, McKenzie gave evidence to the House of Lords European Union Select Committee on the impact of Brexit on businesses in Northern Ireland.^[17] More recently, as chair of the FSB, McKenzie led the debate on Northern Ireland becoming the 'Singapore of the Western Hemisphere' by introducing tariff free trade between the EU and the UK.^[18] In September 2018, McKenzie and the FSB published a proposal to make Northern Ireland an 'Enhanced Economic Zone' after Brexit ^[19]

McKenzie was announced as a visiting professor in Ulster University's Business School, based in Belfast, beginning in 2021.^[20] In 2022, was appointed as UK Chair of Policy and Advocacy for the Federation of Small Businesses, the UK’s biggest business organisation representing the interests of self-employed people and smaller businesses. The role means she will also serve in one of the most senior positions on the organisation’s Board of Directors.^[21] In the summer of 2023, McKenzie was named as the 20th most influential behind-the-scenes figure in UK politics by Politico, which called her "one of the highly-effective Northern Ireland business lobbyists" who gained influence after Brexit.^[22] She was also awarded an MBE in the King’s inaugural Birthday Honours for Services to the Economy in Northern Ireland. ^[23]

In the final months of the Sunak-led Government - February 2024 - McKenzie was appointed to the Department of Business and Trade Small Business Council. ^[24] In January 2026, Tina McKenzie MBE was awarded the Freedom of the City of London by the City of London Corporation for Outstanding Contribution to the UK Economy. ^[25]

McKenzie is married and the mother of three children.^[26]