Kate Breeze

Executive Director

Kate provides all aspects of delivery support and community engagement for the Community Fund and is responsible for day-to- day management and strategic leadership. She has worked in a variety of administration roles for 12 years after completing her Law degree in 2003 and has worked in a variety of employment settings –  from running her own business to managing grant programmes in Higher Education Institutions. Kate has been with Pen y Cymoedd since its start in October 2016. Outside work, Kate also walks with her lovely dogs Eric and Cora and has been learning Welsh for three years with aim of being a fluent Welsh speaker before she turns 40.

Holly Jones

Enterprise Support and Finance Officer

Previously working for Action for Children and a community organisation in the Rhondda, Holly is an experienced finance officer and business support officer. Living in the Rhondda valley she has seen the impact of the Pen y Cymoedd fund on local businesses and is excited to start supporting businesses and social enterprises across the fund area to ensure they benefit from the fund.

Shayla Walsh

Project Support Officer

Shayla joined the team in July 2021 as our dedicated Project Support Officer. Shayla previously worked for DVLA and before that ran her own dog grooming business.

With experience of answering complex enquires over the phone, on webchat and by email and providing customers with accurate information Shayla will be first point of contact for people who approach the fund.

Shayla’s role will also be to drive up social media following and find new and innovative ways to engage with local communities and stakeholders as we well as providing administrative support to the fund.

Martin Veale

Chair

Martin is a qualified accountant and auditor, risk management and governance expert. Martin is also an experienced board member and is currently a board member and chair of audit at Sport Wales and at Velindre University NHS Trust.
Having lived in the South Wales Valleys all his life, Martin recognises the outstanding opportunity the funding available through this scheme represents and wants to ensure the funding makes a long-term impression on the area – delivering for the wellbeing of future generations.

Jamie Smith

Jamie was born and bred in and around the Afan Valley and has worked in innovation and research-related roles for over 20 years, across the local government, central government and third sectors.  He has been Director of Innovation and Partnership at Hafod since 2018, where he has developed his interests in community involvement, service design and data analysis. Jamie founded Side-by-Side, Hafod’s social innovation and community engagement unit, in 2021. Side-by-Side was the first unit of its kind in Wales and has attracted significant funding and external partnership interest, as well as delivering benefits to communities.

Prior to his career in these sectors, Jamie completed a PhD in earth sciences, which ignited his passion for climate change and environmental sustainability.

Stephen Burt

Steve is a chartered accountant and governance professional. He has lived and worked in South Wales all his life, including serving as MD at Rocialle, Mountain Ash, Steve now serves on a number of boards and provides coaching and mentoring via the Welsh Government AGP programme.
Steve is committed to seeing the re-generation of the Valleys through supporting entrepreneurship and recognises the outstanding opportunity the fund offers. Steve and his wife have recently moved onto a narrowboat but has ongoing involvement in the area via support for several churches and charitable projects.

Liam Hull

Liam is a chartered accountant with over 15 years’ experience in the Welsh public sector. His areas of expertise include strategic planning, financial management and corporate governance. He currently works as Head of Corporate Performance at Sport Wales, a Welsh Government Sponsored body, having previously worked in a variety of finance and audit roles within Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council. He is also Honorary Treasurer of Autism Life Centres, a Community Interest Company providing young adults with autism, access to day services that are motivating, challenging and meaningful.

Liam has lived in the Rhondda all his life and is a strong believer in sustainable community development. He is proud to join the Board of an organisation that has had such a positive impact on local communities and is excited to add his expertise and fresh thinking to the ongoing success of the fund.

Thomas Tudor Jones

Thomas is a Senior Compliance Advisor at Cardiff University and provides advice on legal and regulatory requirements on a range of compliance matters including, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and the Welsh language. Previously he worked in a variety of roles at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, including as an Assistant Manager at the Park and Dare Theatre, and as a Senior Policy and Compliance Officer corporately. Whilst at the Council he also became a Deputy Superintendent Registrar – so he’s available for weddings!
Originally from Treherbert, but now living in Treorchy with his partner, Tom is well rooted in his local community. He enjoys singing with Aelwyd Cwm Rhondda and running with Rhondda Valley Runners on a weekly basis. Tom is a proud Rhondda resident and very excited about being a part of an organisation that makes a positive difference to people’s lives locally and in neighbouring communities.

Emma Shepherd

Emma has over two decades of experience within the third sector, specifically working with communities. She is currently the National Head – Wales for BBC Children in Need. Passionate about people and community power, she wants to see local people use their unique knowledge and connections to decide how the fund could be used to make a difference to their local communities.

Born and raised in the Cynon Valley, she now lives near Pontypridd with her three children, husband and a dog called Olive. Outside of work, she is actively involved in community life – she is a trustee of her local village hall, runs an annual Big Lunch to bring people together, and is a founder member of a community garden project.

Michelle Coburn-Hughes

Michelle has been employed by RCTs Education and Children’s Services since 1996, now employed as a Business and Facilities Manager at a secondary school in Ferndale. Michelle is also the Managing and Founding Director of The Fern Partnership, a multi award winning Charity and Company Limited Guarantee, selected in July 2017 as a ‘Pathfinder’ organisation for Wales by Welsh Government under the Valleys Task Force initiative. The Charity is strategic and forward thinking in relation to the future, community development and the joined-up approach to community partnership working. As both a resident and a professional in the Rhondda Valleys Michelle is proud to be part of communities that flourish, develop and thrive in what can be challenging and sometimes extremely difficult environments.

Dr Jack James

Having been raised on smallholding in West Wales, Jack received a marine biology degree and PhD Swansea University before starting his professional career in Madagascar as a fish farm manager. Following this he was appointed Head of R&D for an aquaculture company in Malta, before returning to South Wales in late 2013, to Aberdare. Here he settled with his family, founding an aquaculture R&D business in Hirwaun in 2014, now employing 13 people and expanding significantly through 2020/21 locally and into Singapore. The business trades globally but is very firmly rooted in the Cynon Valley, and Jack has a strong personal and professional commitment to enhancing the community in which he lives and works. He lives in Llwydcoed with his wife (from Aberdare) and two young children.

Victoria Bond

Victoria is a Chartered Waste Manager, with 17 years’ experience, specialising in modern waste management and recycling. Originally from Hirwaun, her career has taken her all over the world, including Australia and the Middle East, where she worked for engineering and environmental consultancies, and was Board Member for the Western Australian Government’s Waste Authority.

Previous to this, Victoria was a Community Councillor for Hirwaun and Penderyn, she was co-founder of RCT’s Briars Bridleways and a member of Action for Hirwaun, helping achieve Village Green status for the Gloucesters.

She now runs a fledgling business selling farm produce to the public. Victoria is passionate about the Valleys communities and bringing some of her experiences to help revitalise local villages and towns.

Bob Chapman

Bob Chapman has been a key presence in the Afan Valley for many years, developing innovative services, including the Upper Afan Valley Citizens Advice Bureau – the first mobile CAB in Wales, serving six valley communities. He is currently Chair of the National Advice Network Wales. He has served on national bodies – such as the board of Shelter Cymru – as well as local organisations which are the life-blood of the community, such as the Governors of Croeserw Primary School and the Friends of Cymmer Afan Community Library.

Marc Phillips

Marc Phillips is an experienced grant-maker with 40 years’ experience within the voluntary and charitable sectors. He recently retired as Head of Policy for BBC Children in Need and has been Chief Executive of both Tenovus, and the Dyfed Association of Voluntary Services.

Now living in Cardiff, he spent many years living in Aberdare, Mountain Ash and Dowlais.

Glenn Bowen

has worked in co-operatives development for over eighteen years, and has facilitated the set-up of many community- and worker- co-operatives and co-operative consortia. He makes use of his business training and understanding to help people develop entrepreneurial ideas into successful co-operative businesses.  Glenn is Director for Enterprise at the Wales Co-operative Centre and was co-ordinator of the Local Economy Action Project for Bridgend County Borough Council.

Glenn has been a resident of Tynewydd and Treherbert all his life and all his family live within the ward and is excited about being part of an organisation that will make a difference to people’s lives, empowering his and neighbouring communities to support themselves to develop sustainably.

Mair Gwynant

Mair Gwynant is a chartered accountant with significant experience of working across the public, private and third sector.   Her areas of expertise include financial management, governance, funding, grant management, business development and strategic planning.

Mair previously worked in senior roles within the Welsh Government, the Welsh European Funding Office, the Wales Co-operative Centre, Chwarae Teg and Deloitte Touche LLP. She has worked with many organisations in the Pen y Cymoedd area, developing sustainable community projects and social enterprise activity. Mair welcomes the opportunity to contribute to and shape the positive change that the fund can make to the area.

Professor Donna Mead

Professor Donna Mead has a distinguished career in nursing, academia and public service – and throughout this has kept her family base in her home community of Glynneath. Currently Vice Chair of Cwm Taf University Health Board, she relishes the prospect of using of the Pen y Cymoedd Community Fund to increase the resilience of communities in the Upper Neath, Afan, Rhondda and Cynon Valleys.

Dave Henderson

David left school with no qualifications and no idea of his future career. That was almost 50 years ago, and since then he has carved an impressive career in education and training, founding and running his own training companies. He has lived and work in the communities benefitting from the Pen y Cymoedd Community Fund for 35 years and is particularly keen to see the local communities take the lead in deciding how the fund can be used best in their areas, and use it as a catalyst to restoring the “can do” attitude he believes the Upper Valleys were built on. Dave is also a Non-Executive Director of Valleys recycling company – “Too Good to Waste”