Welsh Advisory Committee Announced

Ofcom today announced the members of its Advisory Committee for Wales.

The Members of the Advisory Committee for Wales are as follows (Ofcom’s blurb not mine):

Nick Bennett, 34, from Anglesey now runs his own economic development and political consultancy in Cardiff. Between 1996 and 1999 he was regional policy adviser at the Wales European Centre in Brussels before being appointed Cabinet Special Adviser to Liberal Democrat Ministers in the first partnership coalition of the Welsh Assembly Government. Nick contested Anglesey for the Liberal Democrats in the 2001 general election and the 2003 National Assembly election. He is a fluent Welsh speaker.

Ian Clarke, 58, is a consultant radio telecommunications engineer living in Nant Conwy. He has served on UK Radio Communications Agency advisory committees, on European committees for radio equipment and spectrum management and on the Wales Broadband Stakeholder Group. He has advised manufacturers, users and regulators in Europe, Japan, Australia and the Americas. Ian co-founded the UK/Europe trade association for broadband wireless and is now a partner in Sinon Ltd, which provides consultancy services in rural broadband wireless to local authorities and development agencies working for the economic development of communities in rural Wales. He is also a member of Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Oxfam and Shelter.

Michael Clarke, 60, is a school inspector from Llandrindod Wells. He taught French and Spanish for over 20 years, for 16 of which he was a head of department in both grammar and comprehensive schools. Michael is a former Chairman of the Independent Television Commission’s Viewer Consultative Council (VCC ) and a member of the DCMS Digital Television Panel, which advised the government on the switchover from analogue to digital platforms.

Professor Tony Davies PhD, CEng, 56 is director and founder of the eCommerce Innovation Centre, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. He is the UK representative at the European Union eBusiness Policy Group, and Head of the UK delegation at the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business. Tony is a Member of the Welsh European Funding Office Thematic Advisory Group on ICT and Research and Development, and a board member of Pembrokeshire Business Initiative. He has homes in Cardiff and Pembrokeshire and speaks Welsh fluently.

Dr Kevin Fitzpatrick, 48 is a national policy and research manager from Swansea, responsible for spearheading the �2m disability action centre in Llandarcy, Neath. An educated philosopher, he is currently Disability Rights Commissioner for Wales and is a Board Member of the Bevan Foundation and Neath Port Talbot CVS. He has previously served as Chair Disability Wales and on the boards of a number of local organisations. He spent much of his early career teaching and devising courses for undergraduates and adults. He describes himself as completely committed to the principles of life-long learning and is currently learning to speak Welsh.

Julie James, 48, is a former Director of Personnel from Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire and during her 20 years working in the aviation industry she was responsible for telecommunications at Monarch airlines. She holds several public appointments - Non-Executive Director of the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust and Corporate Assessor for Health at Work. She sits on 8 other boards in Wales, namely: South West Wales Board of the Prince’s Trust; Swansea University; Coleg Sir G�r; Keep Wales Tidy; Glas Cymru; Brecon Beacons Western Area LAF; Environment Agency South West Forum and Carmarthenshire County Council Standards Committee.

Evan Jones, 42, was born in West Wales and brought up in South and West Wales. He is the Director of the WDA’s flagship @Wales Digital Media initiative and an expert in wireless broadband networking. Originally an independent television producer, Evan launched a multimedia company in the early 90’s and his first web company in 1996. He was also leader of the London Borough of Waltham from 1992 -1995. Evan is currently focussed on incubating early stage digital media companies and on developing advanced broadband programmes. He is currently learning to speak Welsh,

Christine Hall, 48, is an education consultant from Carmarthenshire. From 1993 to 2003 she was Education Officer for Wales for Channel 4 and S4C, providing advice on schools broadcast priorities and working with independent production companies. She spent thirteen previous years as a teacher, including a period as an advisory teacher at BBC Wales. Christine is currently involved in educational research, editing and authoring resources in print, video and interactive forms. She speaks Welsh as a second language.

Elizabeth Williams, 60 is a practised linguist and former teacher from Trefnant in the Vale of Clwyd. She was educated at Pwllheli Grammar School and the Colleges of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and Bangor where she graduated with honours in Economics and a Master’s degree in Education. She was Deputy Head teacher at Ysgol John Bright, Llandudno for 12 years before retiring in 1997. A former Member of Denbighshire Secondary Schools Appeals Panel she is now a volunteer with the North East Wales branch of the Samaritans and speaks Welsh fluently.