Wales committee members

"It is an honour to be asked to lead such a committed team of staff, partners and funded organisations that make a real difference to communities across Wales. I also welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues from across the UK as a member of Big Lottery Fund's UK Board."

He has been involved in many UK and Welsh Government initiatives, including chairing the independent review into further education in Wales (the Webb Review) and the Wales Employment and Skills Board. He was also a member of the Beecham Review of Public Services in Wales and part of the HM Treasury Public Service Productivity Panel.

"We have a real chance to leave a lasting legacy and make a BIG difference by using Lottery funding to regenerate and revitalise communities and tackle disadvantage head on"

Janet’s career with British Gas spanned 31 years and involved roles in sales, marketing and general management in both the commercial and domestic markets.

She was instrumental in setting up the National Sales Office in Cardiff, which employed in excess of 2000 staff. She was awarded the OBE in 2004 for services to economic development in Wales.

Janet was a board member of Business in the Community for 12 years and has a particular interest in encouraging business leaders to involve themselves in the communities in which they are based. She used this experience in her role as Trustee of the Welsh Scout Council.

• Janet was previously a Council member and Chair of CBI Wales.
• She was a board member of the WDA and was part of the Leadership Group for the Princes Trust in Wales.
• She was a non - executive Director of Milford Haven Port Authority.
• Committee chair – People and Places

Janet Reed retired from the post of National Manager for Wales for British Gas in 2005.

"Having worked in the third sector for many years, I am aware of how vital our funding is to delivering quality projects that help people across the country"

Fran holds several posts including:

• member of the Wales Council for Voluntary Action Board
• member of the Welsh Government's advisory group on tackling poverty
• represents the Advice and Advocacy sector on the Welsh Government's Voluntary Sector Partnership Council
• Chairs the Wales Independent Advice Providers Forum
• sits on the CLS Committee for Wales as the provider representative.

Committed to equalities, Fran has worked closely with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in Wales.

"I’m delighted to be part of a team which ensures that our funding continues to make an impact and reach out to areas of Wales where disadvantage is particularly entrenched"

Gary's work has included:

• a M.Sc. degree from the University of Glamorgan in the management of education services
• appointed by the University of Wales as an external examiner for the B.A degree in Youth and Community work course at the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education, Wrexham
• appointed by Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council as its Principal Community Education Officer
• subsequently became the Council’s Director of Lifelong Learning in 2000 and held this post until he took early retirement in March 2007.

Gareth is a lay member and Chair of the Care Council Wales' Registration and Conduct Committees. He is currently Chair of Education and Training Standards (ETS) Wales and, until December 2012, a member of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales.

"There is a constant demand for lottery funding in Wales and our job is to ensure that each community gets value for their Lottery pound"

Mike's career has been divided between the private, public and community sectors, starting at the London Stock Exchange and moving into Local Government where he worked for two London authorities. For a number of years he ran one of the largest housing associations in the UK where he introduced private finance and very innovative solutions to combat homelessness.

He has been the Managing Director of a large construction and development company and executive director of Quality Street Ltd with accountability for a budget of half a billion pounds.

In Wales he has led the Foothold Group which developed into one of the largest regeneration groups in Wales.

In the past Mike has:

• chaired the partnership board which set up Finance Wales, the Welsh Development Bank
• been the founding Chair of Chamber Wales Ltd
• sat on the committee which oversaw the Objective One EU programme in Wales and chaired the monitoring sub-committee
• chaired Carmarthenshire Chamber of Commerce for 10 years
• been appointed as non-executive director on the Carmarthenshire NHS trust
• chair of governors at a local school.

Mike is currently also involved as:

• director of Foothold Regeneration Ltd 
• a local school governor
• an elected local councillor for Pembrey and Burry Port.

"The biggest challenge we face is to make sure the money is invested appropriately so that it is able to support effectively the needs of people and their communities across Wales"

WCVA has 3000 members and 130 staff based throughout Wales, and manages a budget of £30m. It is the national independent agency which provides research, training, information, policy and funding for volunteering and the voluntary sector.

His previous posts include:

He has an MA (Oxon) in Politics, Philosophy & Economics and an MSc in Social Policy from the University of Wales.

He is currently a:

• Member of Big Lottery Fund Wales committee
• Member of CIVICUS - World Alliance for Citizen Participation
• Member of Communities First Support Network Board
• Member of Third Sector Partnership Council
• Member of Legal Services Commission Wales committee
• Chair of Equality and Human Rights Coalition
• Chair of Wales Funders’ Forum
• As a volunteer he is vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of St. Donats Arts Centre
• Member of Climate Change Commission
• Member of Public Service Leadership Group.

"Money from BIG has made a huge difference across Wales already and we continue to support those people and communities who are most in need"

Chief Constable, South Wales Police 2004-2009

Miss Wilding joined the States Police in Jersey as a cadet in 1967 and was attested as a constable in 1970. In 1971 she transferred to the Metropolitan Police where she predominantly served as an operational detective throughout London and on specialist units in New Scotland Yard. She became an Assistant Chief Constable in Kent Constabulary in 1994, with responsibility for Personnel, and in 1997 took command of Crime Operations, Intelligence, and European Liaison.

In 1998, she transferred to the Metropolitan Police as Deputy Assistant Commissioner and served as Director of Strategic Resources and also Specialist Operations, where she commanded the Security and Protection Directorate which included:

• protection of Ministers,
• Royal Family,
• Special Branch,
• Heathrow Airport,
• covert intelligence and the specialist firearms unit.

Miss Wilding read criminology at London University, has an Honorary Doctorate from Glamorgan University and is an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University and Swansea University. She is Companion of the Chartered Management Institute and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She is also Member of the Royal Institute for International Affairs and Royal College for Defence Studies. She is also Trustee of the National Crimebeat Charity.

Within Wales, she is:

• a Board Member of the Big Lottery Fund
• She was decorated with the Queen’s Police Medal in the Millennium Honours 2000 for distinguished service to policing
• Miss Wilding was honoured in the Queen’s 80th Birthday Awards when awarded Commander of the British Empire medal for her services to policing
• Vice President of Age Cymru and Chair of the Board of Governors at Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Committee chair – Mental Health Matters

Miss Wilding is married and has two adult daughters.

"With money to support individuals and communities becoming increasingly scarce, the role of Big Lottery is vital in continuing to finance innovative projects to maintain and grow the society and economy of Wales"

In addition to being Head of Service for Libraries, Information and Culture, she was involved in the development of the  European Union Objective 1 plan for Conwy County Borough and managed a £2m multi agency project under that plan.  She served on the Steering Group of Bay Life, (the programme to regenerate the town of Colwyn Bay), as Chair of the Rhyl Community Agency and Citizens’ Advice Bureau.

In addition to being an advisor to the Welsh Local Government Association, Rona has also worked freelance for both the Association and Welsh Government.  She was appointed by the (then) Minister for Heritage to sit on the original Advisory Council for CyMAL (Welsh Government’s  policy division for museums, archives and libraries) and represented Wales at UK level .

A first language Welsh speaker, Rona sits on the Executive Committee of the Welsh Books Council. She has been a member of BIG’s People and Places Committee for 4 years.