Andrea was born in Buckinghamshire and attended Tonbridge Girls Grammar School in Kent, followed by Warwick University. She holds a degree in Political Science.

After university Andrea began a career in the banking and finance industry that would last 25 years. Andrea's career included 10 years in BZW and Barclays where she worked in swaps and treasury, project finance, structured projects and then moved to Barclays Head Office to become Financial Institutions Director. In 1995 she worked with the Governor of the Bank of England, Eddie George, over the weekend that Barings collapsed as he tried to reassure the markets and prevent a run on the banks. Andrea more recently held positions as Managing Director of a new London based hedge fund and then spent ten years as Head of Corporate Governance and Senior Investment Officer at Invesco Perpetual, one of the UK's largest retail fund managers.

Alongside her business career, Andrea has been a Trustee, and for 9 years Chairman, of a children's charity, the Oxford Parent Infant Project (OXPIP), which helps families that are struggling to bond with their new babies. In 2011, Andrea established the Northamptonshire Parent Infant Partnership (NORPIP), as a sister charity to OXPIP, and in 2012 Andrea will establish PIP UK, a new charitable foundation, whose purpose will be to support the roll out of Parent Infant Partnerships around the country. PIP UK will offer practical and financial support for the establishment of new PIPs and has the backing of Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Andrea has wanted to be an MP since she was 13 and has been a Conservative activist since University. She was elected as a Councillor on South Oxfordshire District Council between 2003 and 2007, and contested Knowsley South in the 2005 general election.

In May 2010, Andrea was elected as the first MP for South Northamptonshire with a majority of over 20,000.

Andrea was elected in 2010 to the Treasury Select Committee. She is Vice Chairman of the APPG on Sure Start. Andrea is also co-Chairman with a Labour MP of the APPG for European Reform and has founded the Fresh Start Project in Parliament that is working towards establishing a new relationship for Britain within the EU.

Andrea is married to Ben and has three children and in her free time enjoys cycling, walking in the Northamptonshire countryside and spending time with her family.