About

Dylan is Assistant Pro-Vice Chancellor (Enterprise) at the University of South Wales and has been championing entrepreneurship in Wales for 25 years. As well as being the founder of the Wales Fast Growth 50 Awards, Dylan created the Wales Start-Up Awards in 2016 with the aim of recognising the achievements of those entrepreneurial individuals who have spotted the opportunity and taken the risks to launch a new business.

Heather is the CEO of Chambers Wales, whose mission is to help Welsh business to grow, trade internationally and have a voice to shout loudly. With a black book of industry experts across the globe, she makes the connections that businesses in Wales need to sustainably grow and works with policymakers in the UK and Welsh Governments to ensure the views of business are heard before decisions are made

Gemma is NatWest Cymru’s Ecosystem Manager for Wales. She leads on the bank’s enterprise support to start-up and scale-up businesses across the nation, including its flagship Accelerator programme and Business Builder, a virtual tool to support business development. A former newspaper and broadcast journalist and PR specialist, Gemma believes that success comes from having great relationships, strong networks and amazing communications, and is passionate about helping small businesses achieve this.

Chris leads Capital Law’s technology practice as well as the firm's Irish desk. He is admitted as a solicitor in both England & Wales and Ireland, and has a particular interest working with organisations in the technology and retail sectors. Chris has worked with a wide range of businesses from tech start-ups to multinationals, and has particular expertise in advising these clients on commercial, data protection and intellectual property issues. Chris is on the South West Group Board of the Society for Computers and Law, and he leads the Capital team supporting the University of South Wales' new business incubator, Startup Stiwdio.

Geryn Evans is the founder and CEO of Project Blu, the 2020 Wales Start-up of the Year. A leading supplier of eco friendly dog and cat products, Project Blu recycles ocean bound plastics to make eco friendly pet beds, collars, leashes and toys.

Rachael started Mrs. Buckét commercial cleaning with just £20 worth of black and white flyers at just 18. Nearly 15 years on, her business employs over 250 staff and is still growing. Rachael’s drive for success has taken her on an award winning path to create and run a multimillion pound business throughout Wales and Bristol that is now a leader in the commercial cleaning market that works with high-calibre businesses such as Audi, Circle IT and S4C.

Simon is Chairman and Founder of the Alacrity Foundation and Chief Executive of Wesley Clover Corporation. Wesley Clover is an investment Fund specialising in seeding technology companies. Before joining Wesley Clover, he was co-founder, President and CEO of Ubiquity Software Corporation. Ubiquity was named European Innovator of the year in 2001 and in 2007 Ubiquity was acquired by Avaya Inc. Simon is a Regent of Harris Manchester College at the University of Oxford, a Professor at the Swansea University School of Management and Patron of the Employability Academy.

Shelim is founder, chairman and managing director of Euro Foods. The business was established in Cardiff 30 years ago and has grown to become one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of Indian and Bangladeshi foodstuffs to Indian restaurants, catering and specialist supermarkets employing 500 people in the UK. It also has three factories, a shrimp farm and a fish farm employing 1,600 people in Bangladesh.

Harri is the founder and CEO of Fabric Support Services, an award-winning social enterprise that is making a positive difference to young people aged 16 and 17 who are either in care or leaving care. Harri was recently listed in the top 35 business women under 35 in Wales and Fabric is the previous winner of both the Swansea Bay and Social Enterprise Start-Up of the Year categories at the Wales Start-Up Awards

Following a sixteen year career in strategic marketing, Kate became the co-founder of Tiger Cardiff - the stylish Danish variety store with a difference - which has won several business awards including the Wales Fast Growth 50 consumer services winner 2017, winner of Retail Start Up 2016 at the Wales Start Up Awards, SME of the Year 2016 at the Cardiff Business Awards and Retailer of the Year 2015 at the Cardiff Business Awards. Kate is a champion of excellent customer service and believes passionately in putting the customer at the heart of everything a company delivers.

James Shapland is the Co-Founder of Coffee #1. Under his tenure Coffee #1 won Best Coffee Chain in the UK over 4 consecutive years and cemented itself as a formidable presence on the British high street. In 2011, James sold the business to Welsh brewer SA Brain for a record sum. Coffee #1 is now visible in over 100 locations across the UK.

James Taylor is one of Wales’ most successful young entrepreneurs. He is the founder and CEO of Bridgend-based Superstars which was started with personal savings of £1000 but now employs 100 staff and helps over 80,000 children a week across 250 primary schools. In 2014, James become the IoD UK Director of the Year, one the UK’s most prestigious annual business awards and was the chair of the Welsh Government's Entrepreneurship panel.

Richard is the CEO of Wealthify.com which is democratising investing and is backed by Aviva. He is also the founder of ActiveQuote.com, the UK's leading comparison site and broker of health protection insurance. Currently, he is the UK Government's Fintech Envoy for Wales and is working to develop the Welsh Fintech ecosystem.

Caroline is currently Head of Partnerships for the Alacrity Foundation (UK), a unique 15 month programme that provides graduates with practical business training, software skills and mentoring so that they can develop as entrepreneurs and launch their own UK based technology companies. Prior to taking up her position with the Alacrity Foundation, Caroline was CEO of Be The Spark - a movement in Wales designed to bring together innovation and entrepreneurship in a more visible, simple, connected way - and headed up the Entrepreneurial Spark accelerator hubs for NatWest in Bristol and Cardiff.

Hannah Williams is one of the founding team and CFO at Tiny Rebel, the leading Welsh craft brewery based in Newport. Since their humble beginnings, Tiny Rebel have concocted hundreds of mouthwatering recipes, moved to an incredible new brewhouse, opened three bars and show no sign of slowing down.