FOR Cardiff has appointed two members of their established Directors as the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board. Huw Llewellyn, Head of Property and Facilities Management at Admiral, and Cliff Vanstone, Head of John Lewis & Partners, Cardiff.
FOR Cardiff is a business-led, not for profit organisation voted for by the city’s businesses with an ambitious plan to transform Cardiff city centre. It is governed by a Board of Directors who are volunteers representing their sectors. They are responsible for the effective delivery of the business projects and services and upholding FOR Cardiff’s vision and objectives.
Huw has overseen the expansion of the Admiral property portfolio, including the cutting-edge new office building at Ty Admiral and has been with the company since 1995. Huw has watched the business grow and develop, becoming an integral part of Cardiff’s business community himself. As a highly experienced real estate professional, Huw also brings this knowledge to the Board, providing valuable insight into large scale developments and their potential impacts on the city.
Cliff manages the largest department store in Wales and is an employer of over 500 Partners in the centre of Cardiff. Cliff was involved in the conception of FOR Cardiff working closely with the Council initially and then engaging with other key leaders to embrace a BID for the city. As a Partner within the John Lewis Partnership for 29 years, Cliff actually started his career on the selling floor working through the ranks of management across various locations throughout the UK including London, Bristol and Kingston where the very first BID district was launched in the UK in 2005.
Huw said: “I am delighted to join the board and to have been given the opportunity to make a real contribution to shaping the future of the city for businesses. I believe my extensive corporate experience, coupled with my passion to help businesses succeed, will enable me to add real value to the board. The ballot is fast approaching and I’m keen to work with businesses to understand what they need from a second term of FOR Cardiff in office.”
Cliff added: “I’ve been part of the founding team, becoming a Board Director representing the retail sector. I’m particularly passionate about Cardiff being a destination of choice for both local residents and workers as well as visitors both further afield and abroad. I’m proud of the tangible enhancements that FOR Cardiff have so far delivered during its first term for its levy payers and visitors alike. We have a ballot this year to secure a second term and based on this being successful, I’m equally excited by what we can deliver given the foundation we have as a platform of the first term.”
Adrian Field, Executive Director of FOR Cardiff said: “We’re delighted that Huw and Cliff have been appointed to these important roles. Their experience and passion will ensure that our members have two excellent people at the helm of the Board. Personally, and on behalf of the board, I want to say a big thank you to our outgoing Chair & Vice, Simon Phillips and Natasha Williams who have both been strong influences on our work over the past four years. 2021 is a really important time for Cardiff and it’s important we’ve got the right people in place to help the city thrive post-COVID-19. We are now speaking to businesses across the city to understand more about what they want to see from our second term ahead of the ballot in June.”