Ian Price, Director of Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Wales, has joined Thomas Carroll Group as a non-executive Director. Ian has been at CBI Wales for 19 years, having initially joined as Assistant Director for Wales and the South West before becoming Director for Wales in 2017. Prior to joining the CBI, he worked at Newport-based recruitment agency Acorn. This is his first non-executive position with a private company. Thomas Carroll Group, the independent insurance, risk and wealth management group, recently transitioned into an employee ownership trust (EOT). Ian is the latest p ..read more

Anna Malloy, Communications and Marketing Director at the Port of Milford Haven The Port of Milford Haven has announced that Anna Malloy has been appointed as its first Communications and Marketing Director. Anna is appointed to the Senior Management Team and this new role will be pivotal to the delivery of the port’s long-term growth and diversification agenda and in ensuring that its obligations to coastal communities, future generations and to nature are honoured. Tom Sawyer, CEO of the Port of Milford Haven, said: “Anna has a key role to play in our future and it’s doubly lovely to see ..read more

South Wales-based SJ Environmental Limited has completed a management buyout. The business, founded in 2005 by Andrea and Stephen Burt, is the franchisee operator of national plumbing and drainage specialists Dyno-Rod, operating across the South Wales area. The deal will see Andrea and Stephen, as well as shareholder and Development Director Lee Ramsey, leave the business. The original ownership team were advised by the GS Verde Group. The management buyout will see husband and wife Matthew and Kirsty James take the business forward.  Matthew has worked with SJ Environmental Limited for ..read more

A partnership project between Wales & West Utilities (WWU) and a technology firm has successfully produced green hydrogen from several impure water sources. The project, which is funded by the OFGEM Strategic Innovation Fund, sees WWU working with HydroStar to develop hydrogen systems designed to reduce the operational barriers to wide-scale green hydrogen usage. The aim is to deliver low-cost solutions to the UK economy. NextGen membraneless electrolysers are being developed which are able to use waste water to dramatically reduce the water burden of green hydrogen production. Green hyd ..read more

Welsh children’s charity Cerebral Palsy Cymru welcomed its Royal Patron HRH The Duchess of Gloucester to officially open its new children’s centre. Thanks to support from Welsh Government, The Moondance Foundation and other corporate and philanthropic donors the charity has been able to purchase and transform the facility in Llanishen, Cardiff, into a national centre of excellence that provides world leading treatment of cerebral palsy to hundreds of families and children across Wales every year. The children’s centre first opened its doors in May 2021 in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic. S ..read more

Alun Williams (right) presents a cheque for £2000 to Lucia Osmond (left) of Maggie's cancer charity Swansea Building Society has posted its best-ever set of results. At its annual general meeting the Society told members it had benefitted from growing its network of branches across South Wales and reaped the rewards of an investment programme it started in 2015. Alun Williams, Chief Executive of Swansea Building Society, said: “As we reflect on the past year, I am pleased to announce that Swansea Building Society has achieved an unprecedented level of success, despite navigating through tu ..read more

A Caerphilly business finance broker has taken the top title at a national awards ceremomy. MacManus Asset Finance was named Asset Finance Broker of the Year at Business Moneyfacts in London. The largest business finance awards ceremony in the UK took place in front of more than 700 attendees representing some of the nation’s biggest financial institutions, at the Evolution Centre in Battersea, London. MacManus Asset Finance was established in 2005 by Chris and Rhian MacManus and trades from Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly. Making the shortlist of finalists at the event saw the Welsh bu ..read more

Tata Steel is to proceed with its £1.25 billion investment to build an Electric Arc Furnace in Port Talbot and will start closure of the existing heavy end assets in the coming months. The company has informed trade unions that Port Talbot’s two blast furnaces – No.5 and No.4 – will close by the end of June and by the end of September respectively. It says discussions will continue with trade unions during the next two weeks on a potential Memorandum of Understanding on the future ambitions of the business and the impact of the restructuring on employees. A Voluntary Redundancy Aspiration pro ..read more

Energy efficiency work across Denbighshire schools is tackling budget pressures by helping to reduce costs. Denbighshire County Council’s energy team is working on several projects to help improve council building energy efficiency and support the reduction of carbon emissions and usage costs over the longer term. The work is part of the council’s drive to continue reducing the carbon footprint of the county following the declaration of a climate and ecological emergency in 2019. The team has reached a landmark of more than a megawatt of installed renewable energy capacity (1099kWp). The ma ..read more

A housebuilder has announced its latest public consultation for a proposed development of zero-carbon ready homes. Persimmon Homes West Wales plans to construct 133 zero-carbon ready homes on land south-west of Bridgend Road, Pont Rhyd Y Cyff, near Maesteg. The no-gas site will feature a range of sizes, from two-bedroom houses to four-bedroom houses, which will be powered by air-source heat pumps and solar panels. A total of 15% of properties will also be transferred to a housing association partner as part of the housebuilder’s commitment to the local community. As part of its initial engag ..read more