It’s all change for the Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund Board with two new members joining and one central member leaving. This is all part of our commitment to ensuring that membership is refreshed over the life of the Fund – regularly bringing in new Directors with new skills and perspectives. No Board member can serve more than two 3-year terms.
In June, we will be sad to say goodbye to Marc Phillips, our Chair from the very start. Marc has contributed hugely to the development of the Fund over its first four years, both as an experienced grant-maker and with 40 years’ experience within the voluntary and charitable sectors. He has steered the Fund with great wisdom and his calm and steady approach has been invaluable.
Although we will greatly miss Marc, we are delighted to offer a warm welcome to our two new Board members – Victoria Bond and Dr Jack James – both appointed after an open recruitment process.
Victoria’s career has spanned the globe, starting in the UK, followed by 5 years in Australia, and 2 years in the Middle East. Following her first professional role as a Council Recycling and Education Officer, the remainder of her working career has been spent in a commercial consulting environment, with continuous pressure to deliver technical and financial excellence both externally for clients and internally for shareholders.
Victoria now lives in Penderyn, where she runs her own environmental consultancy, working for UK, Middle East and Australian clients remotely. She has a passion for efficient business performance, client management and relationships, as well as developing staff to their full potential. Victoria is entrepreneurial and is developing her farm and equestrian businesses alongside her environmental consultancy.
Living in Llwydcoed, Dr Jack James is the founder and Managing Director of Pontus Research Ltd, a multi award winning company offering independent R&D services to clients in the fish and shrimp nutrition sector – suppliers, feed manufacturers, etc.
Starting with just two members of staff, Pontus Research now employs 11 people, and has carried out multiple studies for clients as well as developing active working partnerships with many Universities. Clients are spread across the globe and range from start-ups to multibillion-dollar global feed and additive producers, with trials investigating digestibility, performance, retention, gut health etc. in multiple species.
Don’t forget, if you are passionate about this area, and excited about what the Fund can achieve we will be looking for new members to join our Board in 2021. We particularly welcome applications from people who live or work in the Fund area.