Here we feature the latest appointments in Welsh business .
Law firm Blake Morgan has promoted James Vaughan in its corporate and commercial team to partner.
Mr Vaughan, who joined the Cardiff-based firm in 2018, specialises in corporate mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and venture capital investments.
Earlier this year he was named a leading associate in the Legal 500 and previously a rising star.
He joined the firm as a senior associate before being promoted to legal director in 2022 High profile deals he has been involved in includes advising the shareholders of Zip World on its sale to Dolphin Capital in January.
Eve Piffaretti, head of Blake Morgan, said: “James’s promotion to partner is very well deserved. He brings a combination of technical excellence, commercial insight and a calm, pragmatic approach that clients value. Our corporate and commercial team has been ranked in the top tier of the Legal 500 and recognised by Chambers Ƶ for its strength in the market.
“The team plays an important role in supporting growing businesses across Wales with legal advice that helps them successfully scale, secure investment, or exit. We’re proud to see James step up into this leadership role and continue to grow the strength of our Corporate team here in Wales.”
Clarke Willmott
Clare Gregory has been appointed head of the Cardiff office of Ƶ-wide law firm Clarke Willmott as it celebrates 10 years in the Welsh capital.
A partner in the firm’s real estate team, Ms Gregory joined Clarke Willmott in 2014 and has been a partner for eight years.
She is experienced in all aspects of real estate law with a particular interest in real estate finance, both investment and development funding. She also acts on behalf of a variety of clients ranging from individual landowners to corporate entities on acquisitions and disposals, including land agreements to facilitate the energy sector together with asset management opportunities that often flow from this.
She succeeds Vicky Kells as head of Clarke Willmott in Cardiff, which moved into new offices last year at the 2 Callaghan Square office in the city centre from Cardiff Bay.
Ms Gregory said: Being one of the founding partners, I am extremely proud of the success of Clarke Willmott’s first ever Welsh offering over the past decade and I’m excited to be taking on the baton from Vicky.
“The next chapter of our story in Cardiff has already begun with our recent appointment to the Development Bank of Wales’ legal panel and our re-appointment to the Welsh Government commercial delivery framework.
“The Cardiff partners and I are making it our mission to build on the existing wealth and depth of experience that we currently have on the ground and to start introducing additional practice areas and disciplines that will make the services we are able to source even more varied and diverse.
“Our continued growth and ultimately, success in Wales will undoubtedly unlock many more opportunities as well as attract investment and business to Wales and its economy. This is something which our Cardiff partners and the wider business as a whole are very passionate about.”
As well as Cardiff, Clarke Willmott as has offices in Birmingham, Bristol, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton.
Hydro Industries
Carmarthenshire-based cleantech venture Hydro Industries has appointed Steve Wilcox as its director of sales to help drive domestic and international growth.
He has been recruited from Dutch-based industrial water solutions giant Nijhuis Saur, which operates in 140 countries, with revenues in excess of £425m.
Mr Wilcox, an engineering graduate from Leeds University, has also held senior roles with Alpheus Environmental, a waste water management company and Veolia, the Ƶ’s leading resource management company with nearly 220,000 employees worldwide.
He joins the Welsh cleantech business, which is headquartered in Llangennech, at a crucial stage in its expansion. Hydro built a large leachate water plant on the outskirts of the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, last year to treat 192,000 tonnes of toxic effluent from a landfill site. It’s now exploring further opportunities in Latin America and is keen to deploy its home-grown technology to address similar environmental challenges in the Ƶ.
Wayne Preece, chief executive of Hydro, said: “We are thrilled to secure someone of Steve’s calibre and experience to take Hydro to the next level and drive Ƶ and global sales. His record could not be more positive about his great success in finding new markets and applications within the industrial waste water sector and we are delighted that our scientists, engineers and project managers now have one of the best advocates in the business to champion what they do and find new opportunities for our company”.
Mr Wilcox said: “Turning promise and potential into contracts, jobs and growth is exhilarating. Despite having worked for some of the biggest beasts in the business, the energy and ambition of Hydro, solidly based on great technology and a formidable track record for delivery, was irresistible. I look forward to an exciting new chapter for me and my new colleagues.”
Comparison Creator
Cwmbran-based Comparison Creator, the insurance comparison specialist developer, has appointed Michelle Orchison as a business change manager and Kristofer Ralph as a python developer.
Ms Orchison will be supporting the company’s growth strategy. She has a background in financial services, having worked in fintech and the insurance industry for nearly 20 years, including time at Go.Compare, RAC and Veygo, which is part of Admiral.
She said: “I’m really looking forward to working with Comparison Creator to see how we can really amplify and realise the full potential of the business and its group of companies.
“Having worked across various roles with price comparison companies, insurers and fintechs, I have spent the past few years focused on product, processes and the people that deliver them and I’m planning on bringing that to Comparison Creator.”
Mr Ralph has joined Comparison Creator as a mid-level developer. He is using his previous experience from a variety of software businesses to help optimise its tech-stack.
He said: “I have really enjoyed being back in an office environment after working remotely for more than four years.
“Comparison Creator is an expanding, ambitious company with a tightly knit engineering team, and it’s been great getting to know my new team members and getting to grips with the work. The future is looking bright and I’m happy to be part of that.”
Steve Jones, founder and chief executive of Comparison Creator, said: “It’s great to welcome Michelle and Kris to the Comparison Creator family. They have joined the business at an exciting time, as we add more products and service to our white label portfolio and expand our panels across other products.
“These new appointments are just a few that we have planned in the coming months as we expand to reach our growth targets.”
Comparison Creator provides specialist insurance comparison services for more than 11 products – not just insurance – and works with brands such as Go.Compare, Money Supermarket, Confused.com and Compare the Market. It also has its own comparison site, Protect Your Family, where consumers can compare everything from boilers to car warranty cover.
Chartered Insurance Institute
Account executive at Thomas Carroll, Alisha Edwards, has been elected as the new president of the Cardiff arm of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).
Ms Edwards, who joined the Caerphilly headquartered independent employee-owned risk management business last year, has been a member of the Insurance Institute of Cardiff for several years and will now hold the presidency for the next two years.
The CII is a professional body dedicated to building public trust in the insurance industry and it has a network of local institutes across the Ƶ, which represents each region. The Insurance Institute of Cardiff has nearly 2,000 members.
Ms Edwards: “It’s a privilege to serve in this role, and I feel incredibly fortunate to work alongside such a dedicated and talented council. Our passion and commitment will undoubtedly make the next few years successful and it’s a chance to give back to the industry and community that has shaped my career.
“Our industry has faced significant challenges with recruitment over the recent years, with fewer new professionals entering the field. However, our local council has ambitious plans and has already begun laying the groundwork and attracting new talent will be a key focus over the next two years. We all share the same passion for making a real impact and are committed to raising our profile of our sector to ensure insurance becomes a career of choice.”
She added: “Our sector offers incredible career opportunities across a diverse range of roles. The prospects are fantastic and it’s our responsibility to showcase this – whether through career outreach, jobs fairs, or educational initiatives in schools, colleges and universities.”
Matt Ward, regional membership manager of the CII, said : “The Insurance Institute of Cardiff is one of the most vibrant and progressive local institutes in the network and it is fantastic that Alisha has been elected as president. She embodies the passion and drive needed to keep the institute moving forward.”
Fintech Wales
The membership body representing the fintech sector in Wales has established a new advisory panel. FinTech Wales’ new panel is made up of members and key stakeholders from across the wider Welsh fintech ecosystem.
Bringing together a diverse mix of expertise across areas including investment, regulation, technology, culture and business scaling, the panel will play a critical role in helping FinTech Wales deliver on its mission to amplify, support and grow the Welsh fintech sector through its four strategic pillars of amplification, skills, funding and ecosystem.
The new advisory panel members are: Tim Barnett, chief executive of Credas; Gareth Berry, inward investment senior manager, Cardiff Capital Region; Rob Branch, head of proposition, EY; Will Carroll, chief executive of Monmouthshire Building Society; Wayne Ellis, chief investment officer, Admiral Money; Richard Jones, Partner, Blake Morgan; Rebecca Linehan, head of insight, Confused.com; Nicola McNeely partner, HCR Law; Sameer Raham, founder and chief executive of Datamonet; Mark Sweeny, founder and chief executive of de Novo Solutions; and Chris Whitcombe, managing director LDMS.
Fintech Wales said the collective skills of its new panel include: investing in start-ups and scale-ups; securing and advising on innovation funding; navigating financial services regulation; scaling fintech businesses and managing successful exits; implementing transformative technologies such as AI; and building high-performing teams and fostering thriving company cultures.
Panel members will provide strategic guidance, attend FinTech Wales events, and offer direct support to members through monthly office hours.
Sarah Kocianski, chief executive of FinTech Wales, said: “We’re delighted to welcome this outstanding group of experts to our advisory panel.
“Each individual brings real-world experience and specialist knowledge that will be invaluable to our members as they navigate the opportunities and challenges of scaling a fintech business in Wales. The panel will also help shape the strategic direction of FinTech Wales, ensuring we continue to meet the evolving needs of our ecosystem.”
