Sarah Williams-Gardener OBE Appointed Vice Chair of New Wales Development Agency Panel

FinTech Wales Chair Sarah Williams-Gardener OBE has been appointed Vice Chair of the Expert Advisory Panel that will help shape the new national development agency for Wales.

The appointment was announced by the Welsh Government on 17 September, as Adam Price MS, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, confirmed the full membership of the panel.

Sarah, a founding member of Starling Bank and Chair of FinTech Wales, joins the panel with expertise spanning innovation, investment attraction and business ecosystem development.

The Expert Advisory Panel, chaired by Jonathan Lewis, will advise the Welsh Government on the detailed remit and functions of the new development agency, including providing advice, recommendations and challenge around its form and functions.

The agency is intended to support the growth of the Welsh economy and play a role in the Welsh Government’s national productivity mission to halve Wales’s productivity gap with the UK within 10 years.

Speaking about her appointment as Vice Chair, Sarah Williams-Gardener OBE said:

“I’m delighted to be joining the Expert Advisory Panel as Vice Chair and to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of an organisation with such an important role to play in Wales’s economic future.

“For me, it’s vital that this is an open and inclusive process. We want to hear from people across Wales who are passionate about economic growth and who recognise the contribution a strong, productive economy can make to the wellbeing of our citizens.

“I’m looking forward to working with Jonathan, my fellow panel members and stakeholders across Wales to help shape an organisation that is ambitious, approachable and focused on creating lasting economic benefit for Wales.”

Alongside Sarah, the Expert Advisory Panel includes:

• John Evans – Former CEO of Subsea7 – 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 – regional economics, public policy, finance and investment, with authoritative insight into Wales’s fiscal and economic landscape;
• Beren Kayali – Co-founder and CTO of Deploy Tech – engineering-led innovation, commercialising low-carbon technology and scaling start-ups;
• Alison Lea-Wilson MBE – Co-founder of Halen Môn – tourism, business start-up, scaling, sales, exporting, place-based product development and building a successful international brand;
• La-Chun Lindsay OBE – Former Managing Director, GE Aviation Wales – leading complex international operations across industries;
• Nigel Morris – Co-founder of Capital One and Managing Partner of QED Investors – venture capital and scaling high-growth technology businesses globally;
• Gareth Noyes – Held a range of senior roles at Wind River Systems – technology strategy, innovation, digital transformation and scaling high-growth businesses;
• Oriel Petry – Senior Vice President, Airbus UK – industrial strategy, international investment and advanced manufacturing; and
• Laura Doel – General Secretary for TUC Cymru – workforce development, skills, social partnership, fair work and employee perspectives.

Panel members are undertaking their roles in an unpaid capacity.

The Welsh Government said the panel will engage widely with stakeholders rather than operate in isolation, with a programme of stakeholder engagement being developed to gather input from across Wales’s economic development landscape.

An interim report from the panel is expected early next year.

Read the full Welsh Government statement on the Expert Advisory Panel.