Shaping the Future of Wales – Female Leaders Lunch at ITV Cymru Wales
09 July, 2025
Last month, FinTech Wales Chair, Sarah Williams-Gardener, was among a select group of business leaders invited to a working lunch hosted by ITV CEO Carolyn McCall and ITV Cymru Wales’ Head of News, Zoe Thomas.
The event brought together an influential network of leaders from across Wales’ business landscape — from scale-up founders and FTSE leaders to social entrepreneurs — for a chance to connect and discuss the opportunities and challenges facing Welsh enterprise today.
Held at ITV Cymru Wales’ Cardiff headquarters, the lunch formed part of a wider mission to develop, inspire and connect leaders across industries. Business challenges come in all shapes and sizes, and sessions like this offer a valuable opportunity to share insight, explore new ideas, and spark collaboration.
Anne Jessopp, CEO of The Royal Mint, said:
“The event was an incredible opportunity to connect with women in similar leadership roles, share experiences, and celebrate the power of collective insight and support. A truly energising afternoon with talented business leaders and being reminded of the innovation we have in Wales.”
Ceri McMillan, Managing Director of Go.Compare, said:
“It was wonderful to connect with other women leaders of Wales and openly discuss both the positives and negatives of leading Welsh businesses. There are so many brilliant businesses, new and old here in Wales, that we need to do more to make sure others are aware of it. My main takeaway from the discussion is to make sure we connect more with the local universities and support the upcoming talent.”
Yvette Gray, Executive Manager at Atradius Collection, noted:
“I was extremely honoured to attend the working lunch to discuss the challenges facing businesses in Wales and what support is available from the Welsh government and local businesses and organisations.
A key takeaway for me was the amount of talent, creativity and skills based within Wales, that we can celebrate, and should market on a larger national and international scale. Advice on how to grow, scale and trade internationally can be challenging to obtain, particularly when entrepreneurs find themselves adopting AI into their processes. Thankfully, there is support out there, from organisations such as FinTech Wales, to provide training and networking opportunities to support entrepreneurs in their journey. Looking forward to the next event already.”
FinTech Wales plays an active role in supporting the sector’s evolving talent needs — from building partnerships with universities and colleges to running accelerator programmes through the Foundry, helping startups scale and succeed.
In parallel, we create platforms for business leaders to connect, exchange ideas, and explore new ways of working together. Through roundtables, working groups and cross-sector events, we encourage open dialogue and collaboration that leads to real progress — driving innovation, building stronger networks, and supporting sustainable growth across the Welsh fintech ecosystem.
Louise Smith, founder of Wales Perfumery, reflected:
“I was delighted to attend the working lunch last week at ITV Wales in Cardiff. It was a valuable opportunity to connect with some of Wales’ leading women in business.
I really do believe in sharing experiences, challenges, and successes for an inspiring conversation about the positive impact businesses are making across Wales. We are all in this together.”
Mandy Powell, founder of The Goodwash Company, added:
“I rarely attend lunches or networking events but this was genuinely a great opportunity to look up from my own business to network, discuss, and temperature check the realities of other successful female-led businesses in Wales.”
The gathering underscored the strength of Wales’ entrepreneurial, fintech and creative sectors, while also reflecting ITV’s ongoing commitment to supporting leaders — both within the organisation and across the wider business community.
Elin Llŷr, Public Affairs Lead for ITV Nations, commented:
“It was a pure delight to host a Female Leaders Lunch at ITV Cymru Wales, led by ITV’s Chief Executive Carolyn McCall and ITV Cymru Wales’ Head of News Zoe Thomas. It’s so important to create spaces where women can share experiences and encourage one another. At ITV, there is a drive to develop, inspire and connect women across the business — and it was great to be able to apply this to an external group of fabulous women and I’m looking forward to developing those relationships over the coming months.”
Sarah Williams-Gardener, Chair of FinTech Wales, said:
“It was an honour to be part of such a thoughtful and inspiring conversation with fellow business leaders in Wales. Bringing people together from across sectors is vital — not just to share challenges, but to find collective solutions that will help strengthen our economy, support future talent, and drive innovation across the region.”
As FinTech Wales and others continue to champion innovation, collaboration and community-building, events like this highlight the value of leaders coming together. By connecting across industries, institutions and regions, business leaders are helping shape not only stronger companies, but a stronger future for Wales.