Board of Directors & Working Groups

As Head of Property and Facilities Management and Admiral, Huw has overseen the expansion of the Admiral property portfolio, including the cutting-edge new office building at Ty Admiral and was part of the development plans from their inception in 2010. As a part of the Admiral Group for nearly 20 years, Huw has watched the business grow and develop, himself becoming an integral part of Cardiff’s business community.

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 is Head of John Lewis & Partners Cardiff, the largest department store in Wales and an employer of over 500 Partners in the centre of our City. Cliff was involved in the conception of the Cardiff BID working closely with the Council initially and then engaging with other key leaders to embrace a BID for our City.

Being a Partner within the John Lewis Partnership for 29 years he started his career on the selling floor working through the ranks of management across various locations of the UK including London, Bristol and Kingston where the very first BID district was launched in the UK in 2005.

For chief Executive, company owner and founder of Creative Hospitality Group Bruno, history was made at the tender age of 14, when he started his long career in hospitality with his first full-time job in a beach bar on the West Coast. For the next 23 years, Bruno gained a wealth of knowledge and experience that took him around the many beach bars populating the beautiful regions of Santa Cruz and Obidos.

Bruno arrived in the UK in 2000 and began working for a variety of companies, where he gained some of the most influential management years of his career; an experience that influenced his vision for his own company and led to the creation of Creative Hospitality Group.

Ken is the Head of Economic Development at Cardiff Council. He is responsible for the implementation of Cardiff’s Council’s economic development strategy, a cornerstone of which is the attraction of businesses and investment into Cardiff and encouraging the growth of the city’s and region’s existing firms. Over the last 30 years Ken has worked with many of the city’s leading businesses in setting up in Cardiff and is driving forward key regeneration initiatives for the Council which will have a transformational impact on the City and region.

Ken works with regional and national partners including UK Government, Welsh Government and the Cardiff Capital Region. He manages Cardiff Council’s equity and loan investment fund and the Town Centre Loan Scheme which to date has invested millions of pounds in the city’s heritage buildings.

Margaret Waters is the General Manager of the Award-Winning Park Plaza Hotel. Margaret hails from the West Coast of Ireland, Galway and has lived and done business in Cardiff for the past twenty years.

Margaret’s first appointment in Wales was General Manager of the 4* Jurys Hotel on Mary Ann Street, which is now the Park Inn. In 2007 whilst still living in Cardiff she took on the role of General Manager at the Swansea Marriott for over three years prior to joining Park Plaza in February 2011.

She has always been very active in the business community and has been a member of The Cardiff Business Club, Chamber of Commerce, IOD, Cardiff Hoteliers Association for the past 20 years. She has very close links to the Catering Colleges and University and is always a great sounding board for what is required for the hospitality industry in Cardiff and for future prosperity for our Capital.

Nick is the General Manager of The Blue Bell and works for Croeso Pubs Ltd. He has chaired Cardiff Licensees Forum for 20 years, the Forum represents around 100 on-licensed premises in the city centre and has won Police Community/Partnership Awards. Nick also chairs the Cardiff Night Forum CIC.

He has served on numerous committees and partnership groups working for the safe management of the night time economy in Cardiff, culminating in becoming a Director of FOR Cardiff. He is a frequent media spokesperson for the Cardiff night time economy.

As the General Manager of Utilita Arena, Phil has overseen a large part of Cardiff’s music economy for over a decade. With the likes of Kylie Minogue, Michael Macintyre and even the Harlem Globetrotters all performing during Phil’s time as manager, he continues to direct the Arenas improvement and refurbishment, including their new smaller venue, Exit 7.

Phil is a champion of Cardiff’s music economy, leading on research into Arena’s contribution to Cardiff, alongside Cardiff Metropolitan University. He advocates for a clear music strategy to be developed in Cardiff, and provides a wealth of expertise into the social impact of music venues in the city.

As Head of Real Estate and member of the Operations Board at Capital Law, Leanne has been an integral part of the rapid growth of the business.    Leanne joined Capital from the point of incorporation, 15 years ago, and has watched the business develop and grow from strength to strength.   Cardiff has always been “home” to Leanne – she’s committed to the City and to making a difference to our Community.

Leanne works with multiple private and public sector organisations both regionally and nationally.  Leanne is an experienced Real Estate professional, but also supports key clients with the formation of strategy and the shaping of Boards – collaboration is at the heart of her approach to business,  on the basis that it unlocks super performance and break through results.   Leanne hopes to bring a valuable contribution to the Board through her skills and experience.

Laura Davies is Director of Communications, Marketing and Student Recruitment at Cardiff University. Her role encompasses all aspects of the University’s internal and external brand, leading 175 professionals who specialise in UK and international recruitment, admissions, international partnerships, internal, external and digital communications, marketing, issues and crisis management, and public affairs. Prior to her current role, Laura was Cardiff’s Director of Student Recruitment and Outreach, and oversaw the increase in Cardiff’s student fee income of £31 million over three years. She specialises in marketing to Generation Z, Generation Y and millennial audiences, and building international relationships.

Laura was born in Cardiff, grew up in Tongwynlais and spent three years over the bridge reading English at Saint Anne’s College, Oxford. She is a fluent Welsh speaker and lives in Cardiff with her husband and two young daughters.

Gemma is the General Manager of Lush Cardiff store and spa and UK&I retailer for Lush cosmetics. With over ten years experience on Cardiff’s high street, she recently oversaw the Cardiff stores relocation and is a champion of bringing shoppers back to bricks and mortar retail.

As well as managing the Cardiff store and spa, Gemma also works with Lush as a Retailer, supporting managers across the UK&I business. Recent projects include Global spa strategy, customer experience in stores and employee onboarding.

Helen Morgan is the Centre Director at St David’s Dewi Sant.

Dan Jones is the Head of Community Safety and Violence Prevention, as part of the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner’s Executive Team.  He is also the Head of the Wales Violence Prevention Unit.

Prior to working for the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Team in 2014, Daniel worked for the Crown Prosecution Service, National Probation Service and Swansea Council. For a 15 months period between 2011 and 2013 Dan  was the Swansea City Centre Manager and worked closely alongside Swansea BID, where his focus was on creating a safe, welcoming environment. In his roles in Local Authorities and Policing, Dan has been engaged in and helped deliver place management strategies by working closely with Licensees, City Centre Businesses and other partners. He has since used this experience to  consult for The ATCM and the Home Office on a programme of work to reduce alcohol related crime and disorder to help promote diverse nigh time economies.