Born on 14 July 1967, Valérie Pécresse began her career as an auditor at the Council of State, a government commissioner, specialising in Internet law, the rights of people with disabilities and hospital liability. After the dissolution of 1995, she became involved with Jacques Chirac and joined his cabinet at the Élysée Palace as technical advisor in charge of studies, forecasting and information technologies. She also participated in the creation of the UMP in 2002 alongside Jérôme Monod and Alain Juppé.
In the National Assembly, where she was elected deputy for the Yvelines for the first time in 2002, Valérie Pécresse specialized in subjects relating to the family, education and research. She was also involved in the functioning of the UMP as deputy secretary general in charge of studies from 2002 to 2004, then as spokesperson for the party between 2004 and 2007. In the aftermath of Nicolas Sarkozy's election as President of the Republic in 2007, Valérie Pécresse was entrusted with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research in order to carry out one of the most important reforms of the five-year term: the autonomy of universities and the reform of research. On 30 June 2011, Valérie Pécresse was appointed Minister of the Budget, Public Accounts and State Reform, spokesperson for François Fillon's Government. At Bercy in 2011, she ensured the historic reduction of the deficit and public spending. She also passed the anti-relocation VAT, which allows for a reduction in labour charges, the key to employment competitiveness. She was re-elected as a Member of Parliament for her constituency in 2007 and 2012.
Elected for the first time to the Île-de-France Regional Council in 2004, she became its president in December 2015, as well as the president of Île-de-France Mobilités.