The members of the ColegauCymru Board serve as the trustees of the Charity and Directors of the Company Limited by Guarantee. The membership of the board is independent of the representative body, the ColegauCymru Chief Executive and Principals’ Forum, but works closely with it to achieve the Charity's strategic mission, promoting world-class education, training and skills and outcomes for all post-16 learners in Wales. All Trustees and Directors appointed shall hold office for an initial period of three years and use their personal and professional experience to support the Chief Executive and staff of ColegauCymru Ltd.
Our Board
Chief Executive and Principal, The College Merthyr Tydfil
Lisa Thomas, Chair
About Lisa Thomas, Chair
Appointed: August 2024
Appointed as Principal and Chief Executive at the College Merthyr Tydfil in September 2018, Lisa joined the FE sector as Assistant Principal in September 2012. Lisa is a qualified teacher and has a Masters Degree in Education. Beginning her career as a History teacher in 1993 Lisa has over 25 years experience of leadership and management roles within secondary and further education and local government. As a member of Colegau Cymru, Lisa has represented the sector on a number of Welsh Government working groups and played an influential role in shaping government policy regarding the FE sector in Wales. She is also an experienced ESTYN peer inspector.
Chief Executive / Principal, Coleg Sir Gar, Coleg Ceredigion
Dr Andrew Cornish, Vice Chair
About Dr Andrew Cornish, Vice Chair
Appointed: August 2024
Andrew has been the CEO and Principal of Coleg Sir Gar and Coleg Ceredigion for the last six years. He has worked in Further Education for thirty years and held a number of different managerial and senior post holder positions at the College during that time. He has also worked as a Peer Assessor with Estyn for nearly 25 years, assessing the standards of other FE colleges throughout Wales. Andrew is also the Chair of the ColegauCymru International group.
Chair, Coleg y Cymoedd
Dr Paul Smart
About Dr Paul Smart
Joined: January 2021
Having graduated with a BSc and PhD in Engineering, Paul commenced his career in Operational Research in both the gas and steel industries. He subsequently join the UK manufacturing plant of an International Cosmetics company where he worked as both a Production Manager and Head of Human Resources. He subsequently took a role in the company’s headquarters as UK Human Resources Director for Operations, Supply Chain, Finance and IT.
After 37 years with the company, Paul has now retired but still works part-time as the company’s Pension Liaison Manager and as a Pension Fund Trustee.
Paul has been a Governor of a number of FE colleges over a period of more than 20 years.
Senior Lecturer, Cardiff University
Dr Rhiannon Evans
About Dr Rhiannon Evans
Joined: November 2021
Dr Rhiannon Evans is a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University. She is a member of the executive management team at the DECIPHer research centre, which focuses on the health and wellbeing of children and young people.
Rhiannon has extensive methodological expertise in intervention evaluation research, particularly in educational settings. Her substantive research interests focus on the promotion of mental health and wellbeing, in addition to the prevention of self-harm and suicide.
She had led and supported national evaluations of education-based mental health services, including MHFA training for secondary-school staff and counselling provision. She has a particular focus on educational and health inequalities, notably outcomes for care-experienced children and young people.
Deputy Director, The Open University in Wales
Vicky Jones
About Vicky Jones
Joined: August 2024
Vicky is Deputy Director at The Open University in Wales and has worked in a variety of roles across the institution over the last fifteen years. Within her current portfolio she is accountable for marketing, communications, Government relations, public engagement, Welsh language standards, partnerships and civic mission.
Working within the four-nation context of the university, Vicky is a member of the senior leadership team, represents Wales on the UK-wide marketing and communications senior leadership group and has been voted onto Senate, one of the key committees in the OU’s governance structure.
Chair of Governing Body, Pembrokeshire College
Iwan Thomas
About Iwan Thomas
Joined: August 2024
Iwan is currently the Chief Executive Officer of PLANED, a community development organisation that has been operational within Pembrokeshire for over 35 years, and under his tenure, has now expanded to both Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion supported by the new vision of ‘Empowering Communities’.
Prior to joining PLANED, Iwan was the Regional Programme Manager for the North Wales Economic Ambition Board for five years leading on their Skills and Employment portfolio.
In addition to a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Iwan brings over 20 years of experience from working across the third and public sectors across Wales, working in partnership with many great people, organisations and projects.
Founder, BE.Xcellence
Donna Ali
About Donna Ali
Joined: August 2024
Donna Ali is the visionary founder of BE.Xcellence, a Community Interest Company with a mission to enhance the representation of individuals from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds in influential positions. Her remarkable journey has been marked by accolades and initiatives aimed at fostering diversity and inclusion. In 2022, Donna received the prestigious 'Outstanding Achievement' award from Cardiff Metropolitan University's Department of Entrepreneurship, recognizing her commitment to diversity. She also earned the Black History Wales award in the same year and continued her journey by winning regional and national accolades for diversity and inclusion in 2023 at the FBS awards.
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