Dawn Bowden MS Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, and Chief Whip

Dawn Bowden was born in Bristol and educated at St Bernadette Catholic Secondary School and Soundwell Technical College. She worked for the National Health Service between 1979 and 1982, and for Bristol City Council from 1982 to 1983. In 1989, she moved to south Wales to become the youngest and first female District Officer in the area.  She rose through the ranks of her union to become the UNISON Cymru/Wales Head of Health, a position she held up to her election as Assembly Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney in May 2016. She counts amongst her proudest achievements leading on the negotiations that delivered the Living Wage into NHS Wales in 2014.

Dawn was elected as a Member of the Senedd for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney in May 2016. In the last Senedd term, Dawn served on the Health, Social Care and Sport; Culture Welsh Language and Communications; External Affairs and Additional Legislation; Climate Change and Rural Affairs; Children, Young People and Education and Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committees. She also Chaired the Committee on Senedd Reform and represented the Welsh Parliament at the European Congress of Regions and was a Member of the Valleys Taskforce.

On 13 May 2021 Dawn was appointed Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport and Chief Whip.

• Support and advice to assist the establishment, growth or development of business (including export support)
• Support for Inward Investment
• International Trade policy
• Entrepreneurship, enterprise and business information
• Development Bank of Wales
• Economic Advisory Panels
• Council for Economic Development and Social Partnership Strategy Group
• Promotion of Wales as a location for Business and Investment
• Cardiff and Swansea Bay City Deals
• Mid Wales and North Wales Growth Deals
• Management of Welsh Government owned property assets relating to economic development
• Business skills and business development services
• Careers Policy and the sponsorship of Careers Choices Dewis Gyrfa (CCDG)
• Apprenticeship policy and delivery
• Youth and Adult employability policy and delivery
• Work-based learning providers
• Sector skills
• Workforce skills development
• European programmes relating to skills and employment
• Regional Skills Partnership
• National Occupation Standards
• Regulatory Framework for responsible business practices, growth and competitiveness
• Foundational Economy
• Social Enterprise and the social economy
• Co-operative economy
• Science: development of science policy, including day to day liaison with the Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales and the National Science Academy
• Life Sciences
• Research and Innovation, including research and development, knowledge transfer and commercialisation; maximising research and innovation incomes; and Research Centres of Excellence
• Digital connectivity infrastructure, including Public Sector Broadband Aggregation, fast broadband and mobile
• Cross Government Digital and Data Policy & Strategy
• Major events
• Culture, creativity and the arts, including Creative Wales
• Broadcasting Policy
• Sponsorship and remit of the Arts Council of Wales
• Tourism in and to Wales
• Hospitality
• The historic environment in Wales
• CADW and the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments
• Amgueddfa Cymru
• National Library of Wales
• Development on a National Archive for Wales
• National Botanic Garden of Wales
• Elite Sport
• Community sport, physical activity and active recreation in Wales, including sponsorship of the Sports Council for Wales
• The Valleys Taskforce and Programme
• 2014-2020 EU Structural Funds
• Shared Prosperity Fund / Community Renewal Fund
• Government Chief Whip