A panel of business leaders and industry experts has been appointed to help shape Wales’ new national development agency.
The Welsh Government has confirmed a further 10 members of the Expert Advisory Panel, which will be chaired by Jonathan Lewis and tasked with advising on the design, remit and functions of the new agency.
The agency is intended to become a key part of the Welsh Government’s ambition to halve Wales’s productivity gap with the UK within 10 years.
Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Adam Price said the panel brings together expertise spanning investment, technology, energy, manufacturing, tourism, finance, workforce development and business growth.
The new members are:
- Sarah Williams-Gardener OBE, Vice Chair, founding member of Starling Bank and Chair of FinTech Wales, bringing expertise in innovation, investment attraction and business ecosystem development.
- John Evans, former CEO of Subsea7, specialising in the energy sector and large-scale infrastructure projects.
- Gerald Holtham, Visiting Professor of Regional Economy at Cardiff Metropolitan University and Managing Partner at Cadwyn Capital LLP, bringing expertise in regional economics, public policy, finance and investment.
- Beren Kayali, Co-founder and CTO of Deploy Tech, specialising in engineering-led innovation, commercialising low-carbon technology and scaling start-ups.
- Alison Lea-Wilson MBE, Co-founder of Halen Môn, bringing experience in tourism, business start-up, scaling, sales, exporting, place-based product development and building a successful international brand.
- La-Chun Lindsay OBE, former Managing Director of GE Aviation Wales, with experience of leading complex international operations across industries.
- Nigel Morris, Co-founder of Capital One and Managing Partner of QED Investors, specialising in venture capital and scaling high-growth technology businesses globally.
- Gareth Noyes, who has held a range of senior roles at Wind River Systems, bringing expertise in technology strategy, innovation, digital transformation and scaling high-growth businesses.
- Oriel Petry, Senior Vice President at Airbus UK, specialising in industrial strategy, international investment and advanced manufacturing.
- Laura Doel, General Secretary for TUC Cymru, bringing expertise in workforce development, skills, social partnership, fair work and employee perspectives.
The appointments follow the announcement in July that Jonathan Lewis would chair the independent panel. Lewis currently chairs Associated British Ports and is a non-executive director at Adura Energy, having previously served as CEO of Capita plc and AmecFosterWheeler plc.
Members of the panel will undertake their roles in an unpaid capacity.
Adam Price MS, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, said: “Members of the Panel are undertaking the roles in an unpaid capacity and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their enthusiasm and willingness to support government in this central endeavour as we strive to make Wales the best place in the United Kingdom to start, grow and invest in a business.
“We have set out the headline vision. The Panel will help us deliver that vision, providing advice, recommendations and challenge about the form and functions of the agency.
“The Panel will not operate in isolation; rather, they will engage widely and be outward looking and collaborative in taking forward their work. So, in conjunction with the Panel, we are developing a programme of stakeholder engagement to ensure the input of a wide range of voices across the Welsh economic development landscape.
“I look forward to updating members early next year, following receipt of the Panel’s interim report.”
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Wales has welcomed the appointments, highlighting the inclusion of SME owners with experience of starting and growing businesses.
John Hurst, FSB Wales Chair, said: “We welcome the appointment of the panel that will advise the Welsh Government on establishing a new development agency, and particularly the inclusion of SME owners who can bring first-hand experience of starting and growing a business to this important work.
“This is a significant opportunity to implement a simpler, more joined-up and more effective approach to economic development in Wales.
“The new agency must deliver measurable impact by making it easier for firms to access the practical help they need to survive and grow, with the agency’s success judged by clear outcomes: more small businesses starting, surviving and scaling.
“Small businesses are embedded in every community and are fundamental to Wales’s economic success. As the panel begins its work, it must ensure that the voices of small businesses shape its recommendations from the outset, so that the new agency is designed around the real needs and ambitions of firms across Wales.”
The panel will now work on recommendations for the form and functions of the new development agency while taking part in a wider programme of stakeholder engagement.
An interim report is expected early next year.
