Host and Speakers
Wynne Evans
Welsh Tenor
Wynne Evans is one of the UK’s leading tenors, having sung as a principal with all of the major opera houses and orchestras, including Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Welsh National Opera and English National Opera.
His vast concert and recital repertoire has included collaborations with many of the nation’s première ensembles, including The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra.
In 2009 Wynne became the face and voice of the multi million pound advertising campaign for one of the UK’s leading comparison website GoCompare.com, playing the flamboyant character Gio Compario. Wynne has gone on to make dozens of adverts for GoCompare.com both on Radio and TV and this campaign is one of the most successful ever. Wynne signed a six album deal with Warner Bros. and his first album ‘A Song In My Heart’ went straight to number one in the Classical Charts, where it remained for seven weeks.
Wynne presents a daily programme on BBC Radio Wales and frequently presents programmes and, indeed, series for BBC 1 Wales, BBC2 Wales and S4C. He is an extremely entertaining, naturally funny, after dinner speaker who is in great demand.
Sarah John
Interim Chair NTfW
In addition to being Interim Chair to the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW) Executive Board and Chair for the South East Wales Region of NTfW Sarah is Director of Acorn Learning Solutions which is part of the Acorn Group based in Newport.
Sarah has been working in Work Based Learning for over 20 years, during various roles in the sector Sarah has come into contact with a number of agencies/stakeholders including, Job Centres, Careers Offices, Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), Employer bodies, Welsh Government departments, Awarding Organisations, Schools, HEIs, FEIs in support of the Apprenticeship programmes available from Level 1 to Level 5. Acorn is the only Independent Provider franchised to a HEI for the delivery of a Foundation Degree.
At Acorn Sarah’s role mainly incorporates the areas of finance, operational delivery, bid management, and the development of innovative learning solutions for employers and learners linked to Welsh Government priorities.
Board Member for LSkIP (the South East Wales Regional Learning Partnership)
NTFW Representative on the University of Glamorgan Collaboration Forum
NTFW Board member as the Regional Chair for the South East Region
Julie James AM
Minister for Skills and Science
Julie James was born in Swansea but spent significant portions of her youth living around the world with her family. Julie spent her early career in London and then moved back to Swansea with her husband to raise their three children and to be closer to her family. Julie is a committed green campaigner, environmentalist and a keen swimmer and skier.
Until she was elected as Assembly Member for Swansea West, Julie was a leading environmental and constitutional lawyer. Prior to this, she was assistant chief executive at Swansea Council. She spent most of her legal career in local government, working as a policy lawyer with the London Borough of Camden before returning to Swansea to work for West Glamorgan County Council and then the City and County of Swansea.
Since being elected Julie sat on the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee, Enterprise and Business Committee and Environment and Sustainability Committee. Julie published the ‘Influencing the Modernisation of EU Procurement Policy’ Report as Chair of the Enterprise and Business Committee’s Procurement Task and Finish Group. Julie also sat as Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee’s Common Fisheries Policy Task and Finished Group.
Julie James was appointed Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology in September 2014. In May 2016 Julie was appointed as Minister for Skills and Science.
