Kay was born in Essex, attended Brentwood County High School, and has lived in the County nearly all her life.
She is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute. She was first elected to Essex County Council in 1989 and amongst other public appointments has served as a Board Member of the Environment Agency and as a founder member of the Board of the Waste and Resources Action Programme. She was awarded an OBE in 2004 for services to Local Government, and was Chairman of Essex County Council from 2012 to 2014.