Virginia McVea is a lawyer who qualified as a solicitor in NI in 1993 specialising in European Law, Human Rights and Litigation in private practice. Virginia has worked in the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK and is a Trustee for the UK Stroke Association. As Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission she led key litigation in the House of Lords. She worked extensively at the United Nations across a range of matters including business and human rights and climate change. As the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland since 2017 with responsibility for the office and over 5000 casual staff, Virginia has been responsible for the largest electoral jurisdiction in the UK with a register of almost 1.4 million, the largest register achieved in NI. Virginia become the Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in April 2023. A keen sailor Virginia crews dinghies and a classic flying fifteen from her local club.