Chair: Owen Evans

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales, Estyn

Owen Evans is responsible for the inspection of education and training in Wales, as well as the management, staffing and organisation of Estyn. He provides independent advice to Welsh Ministers, contributing to the development and review of policy in Wales. A former Chief Executive of S4C and Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Government he has focused Estyn’s role on improving standards and supporting the sectors Estyn works with. 

Welsh speaking, Owen was educated at Ysgol Penweddig and Coleg Ceredigion, Aberystwyth before graduating in economics from Swansea University. Prior to entering the public sector Owen worked for the BT Group for 10 years across a range of UK roles He has served as a member of the Welsh Language Board and previously chaired the Cardiff Education Development Board. A former member of Marie Curie's advisory board in Wales, he is part of the Speakers for Schools programme and chairs WEPCo.

Graham Edwards OBE

Chief Executive, Wales & West Utilities (WWU) 

Graham has been Chief Executive since start-up in 2005, following the acquisition of the Wales and southwest of England gas networks from National Grid. The company serves a population of 7.5 million people - with annual revenues of almost £700 million and an asset value of over £3 billion. 

Graham has also run electricity and water businesses in the utility sector prior to setting up WWU in 2005. Before moving into utilities he worked in the manufacturing sector with a number of international companies – most notably in automotive and consumer goods. During his varied career he has held senior posts in a variety of disciplines - including Engineering, Production and Human Resources - prior to his roles as a business leader. 

Graham has held a number of non-executive positions, notably with Welsh Water, University of South Wales and Royal College of Music & Drama. He is also a previous Chair of the CBI in Wales.

He has an MBA from Cardiff University, and in 2022 was awarded an OBE for services to business and the community in Wales.

Craig Flannery

Chief Fire Officer, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Craig Flannery is Chief Fire Officer and Head of Paid Service for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and a recognised public service leader with over 24 years' experience spanning operational command, organisational transformation, resilience and leadership development. His work extends well beyond organisational boundaries through national leadership roles with the National Fire Chiefs Council, where he serves as Lead Officer for Organisational Learning and Research, helping to influence policy, practice and professional standards across the UK.

He previously chaired the South Wales Local Resilience Forum, leading partnership working across emergency services, local government, health and the voluntary sector to strengthen resilience and preparedness across the region. Craig has also contributed internationally through his former role as Vice Chair of the World Fire Congress Training and Education Community of Practice, working with fire and rescue leaders from around the world to advance learning, professional development and the exchange of best practice. He represented Wales at the most recent World Fire Congress and has supported international innovation in emergency services training through involvement in a FEMA-backed immersive simulation project, helping to explore and develop new approaches to training, learning and operational preparedness.

Craig is a Trustee of both the National Fire Chiefs Council and The Fire Fighters Charity, reflecting his commitment to supporting people, leadership and wellbeing across the sector. An accredited coach with Academi Wales, he supports the development of senior leaders across the Welsh public sector and is a passionate advocate for collaborative, values-led leadership. 

Craig lives in Carmarthenshire with his wife and family. Alongside his professional commitments, he values family life and remains committed to supporting the development of future leaders and strengthening public services for the communities they serve.

Dr Andrew Goodall

Permanent Secretary, Welsh Government

Dr Andrew Goodall was appointed to the role of Welsh Government Permanent Secretary in November 2021 and leads the Welsh Government Civil Service in delivering the priorities of the First Minister and acts as the Principal Accounting Officer for the Welsh Government. Prior to this he was Director General of Health and Social Services/Chief Executive NHS Wales, a position he had held since June 2014. 

Dr Goodall has been an NHS Chief Executive in Wales for 16 years. Previous posts include Chief Executive of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, a position held from the Health Board’s inception in October 2009 until 2014 after NHS re-organisation to the integrated Health Board model. 

During his 30 year NHS career, Dr Goodall has held planning and operational positions across a number of NHS organisations across South Wales as well as national roles. 

He has particular areas of interest in improving patient safety, quality and patient experience; partnership working and collaboration across Public Services; and delivering frontline services through service improvement and modernisation. 

Dr Goodall has a law degree from Essex University and a PhD in Health Service Management from Cardiff Business School. Dr Goodall was awarded a CBE in the 2018 New Year Honours for his services to the NHS and public services.

Abigail Harris

Chief Executive, Swansea Bay University Health Board

Abigail joined Swansea Bay University Health Board as the Chief Executive on 28th October 2024. Before taking up this role, Abigail was the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee Interim Chief Commissioner from April 2024, while on secondment from her substantive role of Executive Director of Strategic Planning in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, a position she held for over ten years. Prior to this Abigail was the Welsh Government Director of Strategy, Integration and Primary Care within the Department of Health and Social Services.

Abigail spent four years in a South Wales local authority as the Corporate Director of Wellbeing with responsibility for social services, leisure, library, arts and adult learning services. Before the move into local government, she spent 17 years in senior positions in the NHS across South Wales, latterly as the Chief Executive of the Local Health Board in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Abigail holds a Master’s Degree in Integrated Care and was a non-executive director on the Board of Social Care Wales for two full terms, finishing in March 2025. On 1st December 2025, Abigail was appointed as an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science at Swansea University.

Andrew Key

Director, Learning design and delivery, National School of Government and Public Services

Andrew leads the design and delivery of learning and development for the National School of Government and Public Services. His responsibilities include the development and delivery of: training in universal skills, including digital and leadership; talent development schemes, including the Civil Service Fast Stream; cross public sector leadership development and; national security training through the College for National Security.

Since joining the Cabinet Office in February 2024, Andrew has led efforts to equip the Civil Service with the skills it needs to deliver government priorities now and in the future, and to support leadership development across the public sector.

He was formerly chief executive of the Judicial Office, supporting the Lady Chief Justice and Senior President of Tribunals in their leadership of the judiciary and relations with government, parliament and the public. 

Before that, Andrew spent much of his career in the Foreign Office, including as deputy head of mission in Beijing, assistant director for human resources and Ambassador to Macedonia. 

Professor Rachael Langford

President and Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff Metropolitan University

Professor Rachael Langford is President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University since 2024, having previously been Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the university. Prior to these roles, she was Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Oxford Brookes University, and prior to this, Head of the School of Modern Languages at Cardiff University. 

A native-level speaker of French and fluent second-language Welsh speaker, Rachael is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Board member of the Office for the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for Higher Education, a member of the British Academy Strategic Committee for Languages in Higher Education, and a member of the British Council’s Education Advisory Committee, was chair of Universities' Wales Expert Panel on International Education and Research in Wales, and a member of the Welsh Tertiary sector regulator (Medr)’s Welsh language working group. 

Dr Gwenllian Lansdown Davies

Chief Executive, Dysgu

Dr Gwenllian Lansdown Davies is originally from Bangor but now lives with her husband and four children in Llanerfyl, Powys. She studied French and Spanish at Oxford and lived for a while in Galicia and Brussels before completing a MScEcon and PhD in Political Theory at Cardiff University where she also taught as a politics tutor. After being elected to represent Riverside on Cardiff County Council in 2004, she worked as Office Manager for Leanne Wood MS in the Rhondda before being appointed Plaid Cymru’s Chief Executive in 2007.

After working for the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol at Aberystwyth University, she became Chief Executive of Mudiad Meithrin in 2014. In 2025, she started in her role as Dysgu’s Chief Executive. Gwenllian is on the Board of S4C and Medr, is a school governor and volunteers at her local Cylch Meithrin on the committee as the Responsible Individual.

Richard Lewis

Chief Executive, Animal and Plant Health Agency

Prior to joining APHA, Richard served as Chief Constable of two police forces: Cleveland Police and Dyfed Powys Police. At Cleveland, he chaired the Strategic Coordinating Group which provided a multi-agency response to the Covid-19 pandemic for the north-east of England. At Dyfed Powys, Richard led on rural crime, focussing on habitat protection, wildlife crime and the mental health of the agricultural community. 

As the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for drug policy, he has worked alongside the Home Office and world-renowned scientists to extend the provision of Naloxone, a life-saving opioid antidote to help cut drug fatalities.

In 2010, he gained a Fulbright Scholarship, a prestigious educational programme, at Pennsylvania State University where he studied the community impact of adverse incidents involving Taser devices. 

Richard has guest edited the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4 and served as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He gained his PhD at Bath Spa University studying change management.

Dr Chris Llewelyn

Chief Executive, Welsh Local Government Association

Chris Llewelyn became Chief Executive of the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) in January 2018. He joined the WLGA as Director of Lifelong Learning, Leisure and Information in 2002 and was appointed as Deputy Chief Executive in 2010.  During his time at the WLGA, Chris has covered and established a wide range of the Association's portfolio areas. 

Prior to joining the WLGA, he worked as a researcher in Westminster for a period and taught politics at Swansea University.  He also worked for the Centre for Development Studies at Swansea University and was active in community development for many years. 

Chris went on to work as Head of Research for the Welsh Consumer Council and has served on a number of public bodies, including the UK Government's Food Advisory Committee and the S4C Authority from 2001 to 2010.

Chris was born and raised in the Carmarthenshire mining village of Glanaman and was educated at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman with Welsh being his native language. He went on to study at Leicester University and the Academy of European Law, European University Institute, Florence in Italy.

Sarah McCarty

Chief Executive, Social Care Wales

Sarah McCarty is Chief Executive of Social Care Wales. Starting her career as a youth worker, she has held roles across local government, national organisations and the third sector. Before joining Social Care Wales in 2016, she was Executive Director of the UK-wide partnership supporting social care and early years. Appointed Chief Executive in 2024, Sarah is passionate about compassionate, systems-based leadership that strengthens public services across Wales. She is also a Welsh learner.

Dr Megan Mathias MBE

Chief Operating Officer, Isle of Man Government

Megan is Chief Operating Officer, Cabinet Office of the Isle of Man Government, covering Strategic Policy and Governance, Crown and External Relations, the Office of Human Resources, Government Transformation Services and Public Health. 

Megan’s career has bridged public service, the private sector, third sector and academia. Prior to joining the Isle of Man Government, she has held senior roles in the Government of Jersey and Welsh Government; she was the inaugural CEO of Moondance Cancer Initiative, a not-for-profit fuelling better cancer outcomes in Wales, and co-founder of Kafka Brigade UK and Ireland, an action research consultancy; as well as working for the New Zealand Government and the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government in the United Arab Emirates and for the Wales Centre for Public Policy in Cardiff University between 2017-18. 

Megan was awarded a PhD in Leadership in Government in 2018, in which she focussed on the sensemaking and leadership of senior officials in Wales and New Zealand. She was awarded an MBE for Services to Policy and Business in 2020 for her role in the Covid-19 response in Jersey.

Paul Orders

Non-Executive Director, Estyn

Paul Orders is an experienced public servant. He was chief executive of Cardiff Council between 2013 and 2026; and chief executive of Dunedin City Council, in New Zealand, between 2011 and 2013. Paul has successfully led large scale organisational development programmes, focusing on improving the performance of local public services.

His background in place management and leadership includes contributing to the recent development of Cardiff as a European Capital City. He was a long-serving Non-Executive Director of Millennium Stadium plc with leadership experience as council chief executive in the delivery of major international events. Paul currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Estyn. 

Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan KPM OStJ MBA

Chief Constable, South Wales Police

Jeremy Vaughan KPM OStJ MBA is the Chief Constable of South Wales Police and Vice Chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC). With more than 30 years of policing experience, he has held a wide range of leadership roles and has led significant programmes of operational improvement, organisational transformation and public service reform at both local and national levels.

Alongside his force responsibilities, Jeremy chairs the NPCC Science and Innovation Coordination Committee, working with partners across policing, government, academia and industry to promote evidence-based practice, technological innovation and the development of future policing capabilities.

A passionate advocate of inclusive and collaborative leadership, Jeremy has served as the UK lead for HeForShe for the past five years, championing gender equality and the advancement of women in leadership. In recognition of his work in diversity and inclusion, he received a Leading Wales Award for Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion.

As a Welsh speaker, Jeremy is committed to supporting leadership development in Wales and strengthening partnerships across public services to improve outcomes for communities. In recognition of his contribution to the Welsh language and culture, he was invested into Gorsedd Cymru in 2019.

Jeremy was awarded the King's Police Medal (KPM) for distinguished service to policing and is an Officer of the Most Venerable Order of St John (OStJ). He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Catrin Whitmore

Head of People Services, Welsh Rugby Union

Catrin Whitmore is Head of People Services at the Welsh Rugby Union. She began her career in the independent television production sector, then joined the BBC, moving from production into resourcing and talent. She later worked at S4C.

A Welsh speaker brought up in the Rhondda and Cynon valleys, Catrin is passionate about developing talent and widening access to employment in Wales, particularly through apprenticeships.

Shereen Williams

Chief Executive, Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, Secretary to the Boundary Commission for Wales, High Sheriff of Gwent

Shereen Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru (DBCC), Secretary to the Boundary Commission for Wales (BCW) and currently serves as High Sheriff of Gwent.

She has led major programmes of democratic reform, including Wales’s most extensive local government electoral review in over two decades, the 2023 Parliamentary Constituencies Review establishing Wales’s 32 new UK parliamentary constituencies, and the landmark review of Senedd constituency boundaries for the expanded Welsh Parliament.

Previously, Shereen held community cohesion roles across Newport and Monmouthshire, leading strategic work on equality, migration and counter-extremism. She also chaired the Welsh Government’s Democratic Health Task and Finish Group.

With over 20 years of public and voluntary service, Shereen has held trustee roles with St John Ambulance Cymru and the Institute of Welsh Affairs. She was awarded an honorary MBE for community service in 2017, recognised in the AACSB Influential Leaders Challenge in 2018, and appointed an Officer of the Order of St John and Deputy Lieutenant of Gwent. She also serves as a magistrate on the Gwent bench.

Ceri Witchard

Director, Arwain

Ceri Witchard is Director of Arwain, having been Director of Academi Wales since 2024, leading its work to support leadership development across the public sector in Wales. She has extensive senior leadership experience spanning policy, operations, organisational transformation and learning and development. 

Before joining Academi Wales, Ceri held senior roles in the Welsh Government, Companies House and the Intellectual Property Office. Her career has included leading major programmes of change, shaping organisational strategy and culture, and working with senior teams and boards to strengthen leadership and performance. She has also held a range of executive, non-executive and voluntary governance roles. 

Ceri is passionate about developing confident, capable and connected public-service leaders who can work across organisational boundaries to deliver better outcomes for Wales.