Jonathan Lewis, chair of Associated British Ports (ABP) and former CEO of Capita and Amec Foster Wheeler, has been appointed to lead an independent advisory panel that will help shape the remit of a new economic development agency for Wales. The announcement was made by Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, Adam Price.
Panel's Role and Agency Focus
The new agency will focus on attracting inward investment, supporting Welsh businesses to scale, and fostering innovation. It will operate at arm's length from the Welsh Government. The panel must consider the level of private sector expertise required to run the organisation, and it remains unclear how many, if any, existing civil servants could transfer into the new body. The agency will also take over the current business support delivered through the Business Wales brand.
The panel will also decide whether the agency will have its own investment remit, allowing it to provide equity to support business growth. Additionally, it must consider how the agency aligns with the economic agendas of the four corporate joint committees covering all regions of Wales, as well as local authorities. There is potential for collaboration with Transport for Wales (TfW), which could take on its own economic development remit, including land assembly powers to support commercial developments around key transport hubs.
Timeline and Funding
The launch date and initial funding allocations for the agency have yet to be determined. It is unlikely to have the broad remit of the Welsh Development Agency, which was abolished in 2006 under the Labour Welsh Government of Rhodri Morgan, and whose functions were brought directly under the civil service.
The agency will play a role in achieving the Welsh Government's key economic goal of halving Wales' productivity gap with the UK average within a decade. According to Adam Price, “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.”
Expertise of Jonathan Lewis
Jonathan Lewis brings extensive business and leadership experience across major infrastructure and services sectors globally, particularly in energy, engineering, construction, and technology. He currently chairs ABP, the UK's largest ports operator, and serves as a non-executive director at Adura Energy. Much of his career was spent in the energy sector in the United States and other international markets, where he engaged with various national development agencies.
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.”
Reactions from Business Groups
Joshua Miles, head of FSB Wales, welcomed the announcement but urged swift action. “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.”
