WJEC Board

{"accordionHeading":"WJEC Board","accordionItems":[{"accordionTitle":"Jessica Leigh Jones","accordionTitleSecondary":"Read all about Jessica Leigh Jones","accordionImage":"/media/lztjbwxp/jljones-lisbon.jpg?width=70&height=70&v=1dafe2716c35290","accordionContent":"Interim Chair of the Board of Directors\nJessica Leigh Jones was appointed to the Board of Directors for WJEC CBAC Limited as an independent Non-Executive Director/Trustee in 2018. Jessica is also the Chair of Remuneration Committee having been appointed in March 2020 and also serves on the Nominations Committee, having been appointed in April 2020. \nJessica is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of iungo solutions, the start-up with a vision to create an international brand for apprenticeships. She is Executive Chair of the Engineering Education Scheme Wales and has been appointed a Visiting Professor for Employability and Professional Skills at the University of Wales Trinity St David through the Royal Academy of Engineering. \nJessica is a Chartered Quality Professional and Associate Member of the CIPD. She has received the Freedom of the City of London and featured in the 2018 Forbes 30 under 30 Europe list and the 2020 Who’s Who list of influential people affecting British life. "},{"accordionTitle":"Cllr Edward Thomas","accordionTitleSecondary":"Read all about Cllr Edward Thomas","accordionImage":"/media/s4wbeyu5/edward-thomas.png?width=70&height=70&v=1dafe2716844dc0","accordionContent":"Cllr Edward Thomas was appointed to the Board of Directors for WJEC CBAC Limited in July 2016 as a Non-Executive Director/Trustee as a representative of the Unitary Authorities. Edward also serves on the Remuneration Committee having been appointed in April 2020.\nCllr Thomas is an independent Cllr representing Llandeilo & Dyffryn Cennen in Carmarthenshire. He is now Vice-chairman of the Education Scrutiny Committee within Carmarthenshire and serves on the Safeguarding Panel.\nPrior to his election in 2012, Cllr Thomas worked for a major bank until his retirement in 2010. He has been a school governor since 2010 and was Chair of the Primary School from 2010-2018 and is now Chair of Governors of the local secondary school Ysgol Bro Dinefwr.\nCllr Thomas is particularly proud that after having to leave school after his 'O' levels, due to the premature death of his father and the need to bring an income into the family home, and after 40 years of working full-time that he achieved a BA History (Hons) degree via Swansea University Department of Adult Continuing Education and is enthusiastic that everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential."},{"accordionTitle":"Cllr Alan Lockyer","accordionTitleSecondary":"Read all about Cllr Alan Lockyer","accordionImage":"/media/ibxawe4y/alan-lockyer.png?width=70&height=70&v=1dafe2716e0ecb0","accordionContent":"Cllr Alan Lockyer was appointed to the Board of Directors for WJEC CBAC Limited in July 2016 as a Non-Executive Director / Trustee as a representative of the Unitary Authorities.  Alan was Chair of the Audit Committee for over 3 years , and continues to sit on the Audit Committee after stepping down as its Chair in December 2023. \nAt present, Cllr Lockyer is the Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Children Social Services. As a Neath Port Talbot County Cllr, Cllr Lockyer has chaired the Children Young People Education scrutiny committee and Special Appointments committee. \nCllr Lockyer has been involved with teaching since 1974 and has worked full time for West Glamorgan since 1977 teaching Brass, coaching youth Orchestra, Choir. He has also been a composer in residence for West Glam Youth Theatre and a composer for Primary, Junior and Secondary schools in West Glamorgan. \nUntil his retirement Alan was a full-time lecturer in Neath College and Welsh College of Music and Drama. He developed and wrote the GCSE and HND courses in Popular Music and as Head of Music Technology designed and fitted the recording studios. He has also been a course leader for the Edexcel Advanced Level and National Diploma in Music Technology courses. \nAlan has acted as an Advanced level Music Technology Examiner for Edexcel in addition to lecturing in Swansea Metropolitan University and various Media Degree and Nation Diploma courses in Audio."},{"accordionTitle":"Cemlyn William","accordionTitleSecondary":"Read all about Cemlyn William","accordionImage":"/media/ahietwdo/cemlyn-williams.png?width=70&height=70&v=1dafe2717058bb0","accordionContent":"Cemlyn Williams was originally appointed to the Board of Directors for WJEC CBAC Limited in July 2019 as a Non-Executive Director / Trustee as a representative of Unitary Authorities during his time as a member of Gwynedd Council for Cadnant Ward, Caernarfon. Since standing down as Councillor in May 2022, Cemlyn was reappointed as an independent Non-Executive Director / Trustee in July 2022.\nCemlyn also serves as a member of the Audit Committee, having been appointed in November 2019. Cemlyn also serves on the Nominations Committee having been appointed in December 2023.\nCemlyn was a Civil Servant for 35 years with the Department of Social Security (DSS) and its successor Department of Work and Pension. He worked in Local Offices throughout North Wales. He later had responsibility for developing end ensuring compliance with the Departments Welsh Language Scheme. During this period he was also the Regional Information Officer for DSS Wales. He has worked in various Policy Divisions in both London and Leeds. He then worked as a Project Manager for DWP at Poulton-Le-Fylde, Blackpool before taking early retirement.\nOn his retirement he became the Chief Executive of Gwynedd and Ynys Mon Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) becoming a member of the Wales Citizens Advice Management Board and various National Citizens Advice Committees. During this time he became the Chairman of the North Wales Community Health Council working closely with North Wales Hospital Trusts."},{"accordionTitle":"Richard Pendlebury","accordionTitleSecondary":"Read all about Richard Pendlebury","accordionImage":"/media/htzny4a5/richard-pendlebury.png?width=70&height=70&v=1dafe2717271d70","accordionContent":"Richard Pendlebury was appointed to the Board of Directors for WJEC CBAC Limited as an independent Non-Executive Director/Trustee in October 2018.  Richard also serves on the Remuneration and Audit Committees having been appointed to both since March 2019. \nRichard is the Change Director (Interim) at Together Money and is responsible for creating and building team capacity to deliver significant business change and better customer outcomes.   Richard is a strategic leader with proven success in driving significant change, extensive restructuring and performance gains across commercial and not-for-profit organisations. \nPreviously, Richard was the Head of Strategy & Transformation at the Co-operative Bank with responsibility for delivering a large and complex change agenda spanning business, IT, risk, regulation and finance transformation. Richard is a qualified Programme and Project Manager and has previously been responsible for the corporate governance of the Bank, during his time as Business Manager in the CEO office of Co-operative Bank. \nRichard has previously held a number of senior leadership roles at AQA Education Limited, and led significant business transformation across the organisation. He has also been responsible for operational roles including examiner preparation and marking, results and post-results services as well as owning the multi-channel support services offered by AQA. \nRichard brings a wealth of Financial Services experience, and 6 years of Awarding Organisations in England and Wales to the Board. "},{"accordionTitle":"Dr Mandy James","accordionTitleSecondary":"Read all about Dr Mandy James","accordionImage":"/media/0fspxheb/dr-mandy-james.png?width=70&height=70&v=1dafe2717479dc0","accordionContent":"Dr Mandy James was appointed to the Board of Directors for WJEC CBAC Limited as an independent Non-Executive Director/Trustee in October 2018.  Mandy has been a member of the Audit Committee since April 2020.\nMandy has over 25 years’ experience in a number of leadership and management roles in education and business in Wales including leading City & Guilds as National Manager Wales and then as Senior Manager Strategy Planning and Strategic Relationships responsible for leading the business and team management in Wales, commercial growth, strategy and business planning in Wales and England, stakeholder relationships and partnerships, marketing strategy, Welsh Language provision, and influencing education policy in Wales. Mandy has extensive experience in higher education and vocational education and training in Wales and has been a member of numerous Welsh Government Steering Groups for vocational education policy, leader of the City & Guilds National Advisory Committee and Deputy Chair of the Federation of Awarding Bodies in Wales.\nMandy also has been a Research Fellow for the University of South Wales evaluating Wales’ first cultural strategy for the Welsh Government and succeeded in gaining a PhD in 2015 specialising in the use of evidence and evaluation for cultural policymaking in Wales following 10 years of research. Mandy has also worked as a Research Consultant for Creative & Cultural Skills Sector Skills Council and as an Education Consultant for NCfE.\nHaving started her career as a Primary Teacher, Mandy has also been contracted as Development Manager (Welsh Language Provision) for the Centre for Medical Education in the Cardiff University School of Medicine, and as Researcher developing and writing a new teaching and learning module on ‘Heritage Tourism and the Welsh Language’ for the School of Welsh in Cardiff University.\nMandy won the Llwyd o’r Bryn Prize in the National Eisteddfod in Llanelli in 2000 and subsequently was invited to join the Gorsedd of the Bards, and still enjoys adjudicating across Wales."},{"accordionTitle":"Kevin O'Leary","accordionTitleSecondary":"Read all about Kevin O'Leary","accordionImage":"/media/alan14gc/kevin-o-leary-b-w-2.jpg?width=70&height=70&v=1dafe27177145d0","accordionContent":"Kevin O’Leary was appointed to the Board of Directors for WJEC CBAC Limited in June 2022 as a Non-Executive Director. Kevin also serves as Chair of Audit Committee and is a member of the Investment Committee. \nOriginally from North Wales, Kevin qualified as an accountant through part time study at Liverpool Polytechnic, whilst working for Wrexham Council. He has spent the majority of his working life based in South East Wales. A key feature of his career has been dealing with large scale organisational change and the opportunities which that can bring. He now lives near Carmarthen and is heavily involved in various village activities from being a Trustee and Vice Chair of the Village Hall, to organising clubs which promote the use of the Welsh language, fundraising and running. "},{"accordionTitle":"Martyn Groucutt","accordionTitleSecondary":"Read all about Martyn Groucutt","accordionImage":"/media/bfmj3rb4/martyn-groucutt.jpg?rxy=0.54804619956016409,0.42908752942580963&width=70&height=70&v=1dafe27195ebdf0","accordionContent":"Martyn Groucutt was appointed to the Board of Directors for WJEC CBAC Limited in August 2023 as a Non-Executive Director / Trustee as a representative of the Unitary Authorities.  Martyn also serves on the Audit Committee. \nMartyn is a Monmouthshire County Councillor and is its current Cabinet Member for Education. He is a previous Headmaster and education consultant. He has previously represented Monmouthshire at WJEC’s AGM meetings.  \nHis interests include music and regularly attends the Black Mountains Jazz Club at the Melville Centre for the Arts in town, which is supported by the Town Council.\n "}]}