A chairperson has been selected to lead an expert panel shaping the new development agency to boost Wales' economy and create better jobs.
Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, Adam Price, told the Senedd of the appointment as he outlined the first steps towards creating the agency which will be a key driver in reducing Wales’ productivity gap with the UK within 10 years.
Jonathan Lewis will steer the independent advisory panel established to shape the design and remit of the new economic development agency for Wales.
Mr Lewis has extensive business and leadership experience across major infrastructure and services sectors globally, particularly energy, engineering and construction and technology. He currently chairs the UK’s largest ports operator Associated British Ports (ABP) and is a non-executive director at Adura Energy. He previously held the CEO roles at Capita plc and AmecFosterWheeler plc.
Much of Mr Lewis’s career was spent in the energy sector in the United States and in other international markets where he engaged with various national development agencies around the world.
The new agency will focus on attracting inward investment, supporting Welsh businesses to scale up, and put innovation at the heart of Wales' economic development.
It will also draw on international best practice and connect with businesses, organisations, and institutions across Wales.
Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, Adam Price, said:
“We have already announced the most ambitious economic goal in Wales in two decades – halving Wales’ productivity gap with the UK within 10 years. To meet that challenge, we need a fundamental change in how we approach economic development in Wales.
“The new agency will be agile, dynamic and built for the Wales of today. Innovation will be at its core — not just new product development, but the spread and adoption of new ideas that make businesses more competitive and improve people's standard of living.
“I am delighted that Jonathan Lewis has been appointed as chair of the expert advisory panel by the First Minister. The panel’s insight and advice on the operating model of the new agency will be crucial.
“This agency isn't about recreating the past. It's about building something that can stand out globally while connecting effectively with communities and businesses right across Wales.
“Today marks a key milestone in the journey to making Wales the best place in the United Kingdom to start, grow and invest in a business.”
Jonathan Lewis said:
“Improving Wales’ productivity is core to realising our future prosperity as a nation. I am delighted to have been asked by the First Minister to chair a panel of senior advisers charged with advising on how a new innovation and development agency can underpin this objective.”
FSB Wales has welcomed progress towards the creation of a new Welsh development agency, but warned that small businesses must be central to its design, governance and delivery from the outset.
Responding to the announcement, Joshua Miles, Head of FSB Wales, said:
“Bringing business support, export promotion and inward investment together under one development agency could help simplify Wales’ fragmented support landscape and make it easier for small firms to get the help they need.
“We welcome the establishment of the expert group and the appointment of Jonathan Lewis as its chair, but businesses cannot afford years of discussion about structures and processes. The Welsh Government must move quickly from design to delivery, with a clear implementation timeline, clarity on how business support will be strengthened, and a multi-year funding settlement.
“Small businesses make up the majority of Welsh businesses so their experiences, needs and ambitions must be embedded in the agency from the outset, including through the membership of the expert group. That is the only way it will deliver lasting growth for communities across Wales.”
