Nichola Mallon

Last updated

Brendan Scott
​
(m. 2013)​
Nichola Mallon
Nichola Mallon - SDLP Lord Mayor of Belfast.jpg
Mallon as Lord Mayor of Belfast in 2014
Minister of Infrastructure
In office
11 January 2020 –5 May 2022
Children3
Residence(s) Crumlin, Belfast
Alma mater

Nichola Mallon (born 23 August 1979) is a former politician from Northern Ireland who served as Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 2017- 2022. She served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast North from 2016 to 2022 and as Lord Mayor of Belfast from 2014 to 2015. She was elected as Deputy Leader of the SDLP in 2017. [1] She was appointed Minister for Infrastructure on 11 January 2020, before being removed from office after losing her seat at the 2022 Assembly election.

Contents

Early life and career

Nichola Mallon was born in Belfast in 1979. Her father was a printer and her mother was a dress-maker. She grew up in the Ardoyne district of North Belfast. Her family were involved in the trade union movement and she took part in May Day rallies as a girl.

She attended Mercy Primary School followed by St Dominic's Grammar School for Girls, where she developed an interest in politics and was attracted to the SDLP. She read Economics and Politics at Trinity College Dublin and graduated with a BA (Hons), followed by an MA in Comparative Ethnic Conflict from Queen's University Belfast.

When she left university, she joined the civil service before moving to the General Medical Council and then to a job with the SDLP. [2]

Political career

In 2010 she was co-opted by the SDLP onto Belfast City Council to replace Alban Maginness in the Oldpark (District Electoral Area). In 2014, she won the seat in her own right, polling just under 1,000 first preferences. In 2013, she was appointed a special adviser to the SDLP's Environment Minister Mark H. Durkan, but stood down from that position when elected Lord Mayor of Belfast in 2014. [2] She served as the Lord Mayor of Belfast from 2014 to 2015, [3] the first female Irish nationalist politician to hold the position. [4]

She was elected a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast North in 2016 and re-elected in 2017, increasing the SDLP vote to 5,431 first preferences.

On 12 September 2017, Mallon was elected Deputy Leader of the SDLP. [5] She was appointed Minister for Infrastructure on 11 January 2020. [6]

She failed to retain her seat at the 2022 Assembly election. [7]

Post-political career

In December 2022, she started a job at Logistics UK, a trade association which represents the freight industry. [8]

Personal life

Mallon is married to Brendan Scott and has three children, two daughters and a son. [9]

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References

  1. ↑ "Nichola Mallon named SDLP deputy leader". Irish News . 12 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 Kane, Alex (7 June 2014). "Nichola Mallon: A people's mayor". Belfast Telegraph . Archived from the original on 4 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  3. ↑ "Lord Mayor". Belfast City Council. 2014. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "SDLP's Nichola Mallon is new Belfast lord mayor". BBC News . 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Nichola Mallon elected SDLP deputy leader". BBC News. 12 September 2017. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "Minister for Infrastructure Nichola Mallon". Department for Infrastructure. 11 January 2020. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Press Association (7 May 2022). "SDLP's Nichola Mallon loses seat as Sinn Féin wins historic victory in Stormont election". TheJournal.ie.
  8. ↑ "Nichola Mallon: Former minister takes business lobby role". BBC News. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "SDLP's Nichola Mallon gives birth to 'perfect' baby girl". Belfast Telegraph. 4 March 2017. Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
Civic offices
Preceded by Lord Mayor of Belfast
2014–2015		Succeeded by
Arder Carson
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by MLA for Belfast North
2016–present		Incumbent
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