Minister for Economy and Transport, Ken Skates has appointed Michael Macphail as the new Chair of the Welsh Industrial Development Advisory Board for a 3 year period.
The Welsh Industrial Development Advisory Board (WIDAB) provides advice to the Minister for Economy and Transport on issues relating to the Welsh Economy and assists the Welsh Government in its ambition to drive sustainable and inclusive growth across the regions of Wales through the Economic Action Plan. Central to WIDAB’s role is providing advice on individual projects requesting support of more than £1 million from the relevant schemes within the Economy Futures Fund.
As Chair, Michael will lead the proceedings of board meetings and help fellow Board Members to reach a consensus so that a suitable recommendation can be made to the minister. He will also be asked to help in the recruitment of the new members of the Board which will be taking place between July and September this year.
Michael is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers who is a former Director of Engineering of Tata Steel Europe. He has had a wide-ranging career in the steel industry in senior positions in engineering, operations and HR in the UK and Europe.
Economy Minister Ken Skates said:
“I’m very pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Macphail as the new chair of the Welsh Industrial Development Advisory Board.
“Michael’s expertise and experience will be invaluable in directing the board and providing clear advice which will help drive our ambitions for the Welsh economy.
“I look forward to working with him over the next 3 years.”