The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy & Planning has appointed Owen Derbyshire as the new Chair of the Welsh Industrial Development Advisory Board (WIDAB). Beginning on the 1 July 2025, the appointment will run for a period of 3 years.
Originally established under the Welsh Development Agency Act 1975, WIDAB provides advice to the Cabinet Secretary 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 over £1 million from the relevant schemes within the Economy Futures Fund.
As Chair, Owen 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 Cabinet Secretary. He will also be asked to help in the recruitment of new members to the Board which will be taking place later this year.
Owen is Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy and is a former Member of WIDAB as well as Chair of the Independent Challenge Group for Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. A former technology entrepreneur, Owen previously worked in broadcast media with S4C and has since held senior leadership roles across the public, private and third sectors. Owen has also held a number of non-executive and trustee roles spanning a range of organisations committed to social, economic and environmental impact.
The current level of remuneration is £256 per day as Chair, for an average commitment of one day a month. Meetings are held on a monthly basis.
This appointment has been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. All appointments are made on merit, and political activity plays no part in the selection process. The Chair has not declared any political activity in the last five years.