Chair: Owen Evans

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales, Estyn

Owen Evans is responsible for the inspection of education and training in Wales, as well as the management, staffing and organisation of Estyn. He provides independent advice to Welsh Ministers which contributes to the development and review of policy in Wales. Owen also plays a key role in working closely with the other inspection, audit and regulation bodies in Wales, to underpin joint planning and working. In addition, as Estyn’s Accounting Officer he ensures that resources are used properly and provide value for money. The Chief Inspector also publishes an Annual Report on the standards and quality of education and training in Wales.

Welsh speaking, Owen was educated at Ysgol Penweddig and Coleg Ceredigion, Aberystwyth before graduating in economics from Swansea University. Owen joined Estyn from his position of Chief Executive of S4C, the Welsh language Broadcaster. Prior to joining S4C, he was Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Government, responsible for Education and Public Services. Between 2008 and 2010 he was director of Business in the Community Wales and for 10 years before that he worked for BT, including as a member of the UK team developing BT's broadband strategy. He has served as a member of the Welsh Language Board and previously chaired the Cardiff Education Development Board.

He is currently a member of Marie Curie's advisory board in Wales, is part of the Speakers for Schools programme and chairs WEPCo. He is a member of Aberystwyth University's Council.

Owen joined the Academi Wales Expert Panel as Chair in 2024.

Ian Bancroft

Chief Executive, Wrexham County Borough Council

Ian took up his post as Chief Executive of Wrexham Council in August 2018 and for the previous fourteen years worked at a senior leadership level within large public service organisations in Greater Manchester, Merseyside and North East Wales. Most recently, since 2014, this has been at Flintshire County Council as a Chief Officer leading successfully the development and implementation of a number of major strategic programmes.

Ian is committed to public service delivery and aims to work with partners, local communities and residents to build and deliver a clear vision that achieves outstanding results. Ian has lived in Wrexham for the last 18 years and is passionate about the current positive opportunities Wrexham and Wales provides and the potential for the future.

Estelle Hitchon

Director of Partnerships and Engagement, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust

Estelle Hitchon is the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Director of Partnerships and Engagement.

She joined WAST in 2014, following a varied career in journalism, academia and a number of leadership roles across the public, not-for-profit and arts sectors.

The Director of Partnerships and Engagement role is unique in NHS Wales, combining a range of disciplines including communications and engagement, statutory partnerships and political and public affairs.

Estelle originally trained as a journalist in her home town of Llanelli, following a degree in European Studies and a Master’s degree in East European Studies. She is a fluent German speaker.

Estelle is experienced in working with Boards and Executive Teams, with a particular focus on strategic counsel and leading through complexity. She is a passionate advocate for communications and engagement, and for diverse leaders, at Board level.

Outside work, Estelle’s other interests are architecture, interiors and music. She recently moved back to Cardiff from South Worcestershire, where she was the custodian of a Grade 2 listed house designed originally as a stable by the renowned 18th century landscape architect, Lancelot “Capability” Brown. She now has a more modest mock Georgian home in a north Cardiff suburb, but remains a sucker for a period property.

Estelle is a keen, if not entirely talented pianist, and also plays the flute (badly) and oboe (appallingly badly).

Debra Hughes

Service Director Organisational Development, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

Debra began her career in local government in 2000 after working in training consultancy with large private sector organisations.  A qualified secondary teacher, she has a passion for learning and development and providing opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential.

A fellow of the CIPD and holding a Masters in Organisational Development, Debra has built a diverse team delivering award winning programmes including the Councils Graduate and Apprenticeship Schemes and specialist employment programmes. 

Debra is passionate about staff engagement and wellbeing with her team, providing an array of learning and development programmes, occupational health and wellbeing services, staff benefits and staff consultation.

Debra would like her legacy to be that the Council has high quality programmes in place to ensuring that individuals, particularly those that are from disadvantaged and complex backgrounds, have an opportunity to flourish within the Council and beyond.

Professor Uzo Iwobi CBE

Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Race Council Cymru

Originally from Nigeria, Uzo holds a law degree from the University of Nigeria and she qualified as a solicitor and a barrister and was called to the Nigerian Bar.

After qualifying as a barrister in Nigeria, Uzo moved to Wales where she now serves as the chief executive officer of Race Council Cymru and sits on the board of several voluntary organisations. This includes serving as the chairperson of the African Community Centre in Wales, which she founded in 2004.

Uzo has served with the Police National Diversity team, based at the Home Office, where she was involved in developing national policies on race relations and diversity.

In 2004, she joined South Wales Police and in the same year, she founded the very first African Community Centre (ACC) in Wales and served as Chairperson for ACC for 15yrs.

Uzo served with the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) UK as a Commissioner until it merged with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in October 2007. In 2008 she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to community relations and South Wales communities.

In 2022, Uzo was awarded a CBE by the Queen in the Jubilee Birthday Honours.

Professor Iwobi received the CBE for services to racial equality and to championing diversity and inclusion.

Uzo was the first Black woman to be appointed as a Specialist Adviser on Equalities to Welsh Government.

Sarah Lethbridge

Pro Dean of External Engagement and Academic Partner for Flexible Learning, Cardiff Business School

Working with her team, Sarah is responsible for all of the outward facing activity of Cardiff Business School, enabling their research to have real world impact. They have created a lively business community by providing opportunities to engage with the Business School and University via the popular Breakfast Briefing series, academic conferences and events. Currently, Sarah is also Cardiff University’s Academic Partner for Flexible Learning, helping to create processes and policies to support a more flexible approach to knowledge sharing. Sarah's business specialism is Lean Thinking and Service Improvement and she has worked in a variety of different organisational settings, public and private, to better understand all of the components of successful organisations and how to create cultures of Continuous Improvement. Sarah particularly enjoys working with improvement teams to enhance their knowledge and encourage self-sufficiency. She also loves exploring new improvement methodologies - how they connect with each other, and also the new concepts that they provide.

Sarah McCarty

Director of Improvement and Development, Social Care Wales

Sarah joined Social Care Wales in 2016 and is the Director with responsibility for workforce development, service improvement, research, data and innovation.

Starting her career as a youth worker, Sarah has worked in a variety of statutory and voluntary organisations, supporting children’s participation and inclusion. She has held positions in local authority policy development and service improvement and prior to her current role worked as Director for the UK partnership of social care workforce organisations. Sarah is a Welsh language learner.

Sarah has just been successful in securing a new role so from end of July 2024, she becomes Chief Executive of Social Care Wales.

Julie Rogers

Chief Executive, Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA)

A chartered fellow of the CIPD, Julie has worked in the public sector for over four decades. She joined HPMA as their CEO on 1 July 2024.

Julie was until recently the Deputy CEO and Director of Workforce & OD at Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), the national workforce body for NHS Wales. Prior to that she held the position of National Workforce & OD Director and Head of Profession for NHS Wales.

Whilst working in Government, Julie was instrumental in campaigning for a single workforce, education and training body for Wales. Having established ‘HEIW’ in 2018 she joined the NHS and went on to lead the development of the first ‘Health and Care Workforce Strategy for Wales 2020-30’. During the Covid-19 pandemic she supported the national roll-out of the vaccination programme and workforce deployment. One of her most significant achievements has been the development of multi award-winning resources and programmes to support executive talent pipelines, professional development and to embed compassionate leadership across NHS Wales.

Julie has enjoyed a varied career in Government, the Welsh Parliament and the NHS, spanning a wide range of social policy, OD and HR roles. She was a finalist for HPMA Director of the year in 2021.

Sara Sellek

Assistant Director of Strategy & People, Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA)

Sara is Assistant Director of Strategy & People for Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), the national membership body for voluntary organisations in Wales. She has worked for WCVA since 2006 and is responsible for the operational management of activities such as policy, strategic partnerships, HR, membership, learning, marketing and communications.

Before joining WCVA Sara worked in both the public and private sectors, starting her career in sales and marketing in the manufacturing industry. However, when given the opportunity to work in the public sector for Devon and Cornwall Police, Sara began to recognise that a job can be about far more than just making money, it can also help individuals and the wider community, those facing the most disadvantage.

Sara enjoys her role at WCVA immensely and working in the third sector to use her passion and skills to help those who most need it.

Mark Stevenson, MA, MSc, LLM, FCIPD

Chief People Officer, South Wales Police

Mark joined South Wales Police in September 2018 as Chief People Officer having previously enjoyed a career spanning 18 years within large, Multi-National private industry.

Working as part of the Executive Board, Mark provides leadership and strategic direction for workforce development (c 6,300). He is responsible for a diverse people service portfolio including: Safety, occupational health, Resourcing & Workforce planning, HRSS, Reward & recognition, employee relations, employee engagement, talent management and learning & development.

Mark is the Strategic Lead for human resources and learning and development collaboration across the 4 Welsh Police Forces.  He is also the UK’s National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) Lead for learning and development.

Mark is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and a member of the Industrial Law Society.