Anna Lo, who is of Chinese ethnicity, was born in Hong Kong. She moved to Northern Ireland in 1974. In 2007 Anna Lo was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast South and became the first Chinese-born person to be elected to a parliament in Europe. She was an MLA for Belfast South from 2007 to 2016. She is committed to building a united and prosperous community in Northern Ireland. She worked for fairness and inclusiveness with society.

In 2018 Anna Lo received an honorary doctorate from The Open University for her exceptional contribution to public services.