Author: Rhys Gregory

Insurance broking and risk expert David Whittaker has joined Thomas Carroll Group as its Chief Operating Officer. Thomas Carroll Group, the independent insurance, risk and wealth management group which recently transitioned into an employee ownership trust (EOT), has appointed insurance broker expert David to lead operations at the company, as part of its continued growth and succession planning. David is the former COO of Aon’s UK Retail Business and spent nearly a decade at Marsh UK, where he was appointed as the first COO of its National Corporate Practice. Speaking of his appointment, David said: “Thomas Carroll is such a…

Bridgend-based AI technology firm Clinithink is helping to improve patient care, relieve workloads for stretched clinicians and deliver significant savings to the NHS with investment from the Development Bank of Wales. Having first supported Clinithink with an equity investment in 2012, the Development Bank has since made five follow-on investments with the latest funding round taking the total capital to over £5 million. Clinithink also has the backing of major specialist health funds in the US. Clinithink’s Clinical Natural Language Processing (CNLP) solution, CLiX® intelligence extracts valuable data from lengthy, unstructured patient notes. The patented technology uses market-leading AI technology…

R&D intensive businesses are boosting the Welsh economy according to a new report commissioned by Economic Intelligence Wales. Produced with the support of the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC), the report shows there are more than 2,400 high and medium-high R&D-intensive businesses in Wales that make significant contributions to the Welsh economy. It also looks at innovation activity via survey data and in-depth interviews with businesses and is the first ERC report to be published through Economic Intelligence Wales. In Wales, as we see across the UK, economic risks and the high costs of innovation are the main barriers to innovation…

The Welsh company that makes one of the UK’s leading School Compliant drinks has partnered with Go Ape for a national promotion. Radnor Hills has been making healthy kids drink Radnor Fizz for over 15 years from its base in Knighton, Powys. Radnor Fizz has partnered with Go Ape to run an on-pack ‘Fuel the Fun’ promotion to win tree top adventure vouchers to bring out your inner Tarzan. Launching today and running until November 1st, there are lots of chances to win the weekly prize of a Go Ape voucher throughout the year. Go Ape has 37 locations across…

A MEN’S suicide prevention charity will launch a new peer-to-peer support group in North Wales. Already welcoming more than 50 people to its free weekly meetings at the Yellow and Blue Hub in Wrexham, Andy’s Man Club (AMC) has added Coleg Cambria Deeside to its growing list of sites UK-wide. The organisation has signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the college and will meet at its conference centre on Kelsterton Road, Connah’s Quay, every Monday from 7pm-9pm, beginning on April 22. Dan Rowe, AMC’s Regional Area Lead for the West of England and Wales, says the partnership will enable…

A Gorseinon opticians has expanded its offering to local customers as part of a £500,000 investment. Specsavers Gorseinon has relocated to the former HSBC bank located at 1 Alexander Road, just across from its previous site. The move to the new location is part of an expansion to match growing business demand. The new store has one extra test room – going from three to four – with a fifth room to soon follow, and features a dual room, where audiology services are also available. Sally Anne Colquhoun, director of the Gorseinon store, says: ‘Our customer demand is ever-growing, so…

The global celebrity status of Wrexham AFC has given the city a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure unprecedented economic growth, according to a top business expert Professor Dylan Jones-Evans said the club’s superstar owners, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, have been like a breath of fresh air in promoting the city but that local leaders must now invest significantly in home-grown businesses and incoming innovators to make the most of Wrexham’s  higher profile. The pair joined forces to buy Wrexham, paying £2 million for it back in 2021 and have managed to turn the club’s fortunes around, achieving promotion last year…

A Swansea man has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment after his driving caused the death of two teenagers in 2022. Nineteen-year-old Owain Hammett-George, from Birchgrove, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving in February this year. He also pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Nineteen-year-olds Ben Rogers and Kaitlyn Davies died in the incident, which took place on the B4436 in Bishopston in May 2022. A 17-year-old female, Casey-Leigh Thomas, was also taken to hospital with serious injuries, including a brain injury and a broken neck. Detective Sergeant Deborah Hobrough said: “This…

BUSINESSES and organisations are invited to exhibit at a business expo in Monmouthshire this month. The ‘Expo Wales- Monmouthshire’ showcase will be held in Abergavenny Market Hall with the aim of bringing together businesses of all sizes from across South-East Wales to encourage networking, collaboration and support. The one-day event, organised in partnership by two local media agencies- Sudol Media and Roseblade Media, aims to create a space for entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals and industry leaders to showcase their products and services and network with like-minded individuals. As well as trade stands, there will be a networking area and free-entry…

Successful West Wales family construction business TRJ Ltd, which was founded by former apprentice T. Richard Jones in 1935, was named Medium Employer of the Year at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2024. Some 89 years after Mr Jones launched the Ammanford business, TRJ is still employing apprentices, ensuring a constant stream of construction talent for South West Wales. The third generation of the family is now running the company which employs 160 people – including 16 apprentices – and around 100 local sub-contractors. Over the past five years, TRJ has employed 43 apprentices and supports award-winning shared apprenticeships and traditional…