She was born Vanessa Dunya Mock in Marly-la-Ville in the Val d'Oise department of France, near Paris in 1975.
She was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University and graduated with a joint honours degree in French and German.
She speaks several languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, and Italian.
She started journalism with the Financial Times Newsletter in London, specialising in telecommunications issues.
Her responsibilities include covering the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for the station's English- and Spanish-language service.