Presenter Profiles 2024
John Nash
Chair, National Training Federation for Wales
With a background engineering and quality management, NTFW chair John Nash became a training advisor with TSW Training in 1989.
After leading a management buy-out of the Bridgend-based business with two colleagues, he became managing director for six years from 2012 and continues to serve as a director on commercial and work-based learning projects.
An experienced assessor, lead verifier and a trained peer assessor, John lives in Ferndale and represents the work-based learning sector on Cardiff Capital Region Skills Partnership.
He has guided the NTFW through a series of challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic and current apprenticeship budget cuts.
Lisa Mytton
Strategic Director, National Training Federation for Wales
Lisa is currently the Strategic Director for NTFW National Training Federation Wales, Lisa has worked in the Post 16 work-based learning industry for over 26 years as a senior Quality Manager, Estyn Peer Inspector alongside a 16 year political career in Local Government,
Lisa has previously been the Mayor, Cabinet member for Education and most recently Leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.
Lisa is also a director of the following charitable companies The Cyfarthfa Foundation, Merthyr Tydfil Institute for the Blind and The Stephens and George Charitable Trust.
Guest Speakers
Rhian Edwards
Executive Director Further Education and Apprenticeships, Welsh Government
Rhian joined Welsh Government in 2021 to take on the role of Deputy Director for Further Education and Apprenticeships. The division delivers a range of policy, planning, funding, quality assurance and monitoring functions for further education, work-based learning, adult learning and school 6th forms. Rhian is also supporting the establishment of the new Commission for Tertiary Education and Research and will be transferring across to the new body as Deputy CEO later this year. Prior to joining Welsh Government, Rhian was Commercial Director for Cwmpas, working with a range of public sector bodies on transformation programmes and embedding social value into supply chains.
Philip Blaker
Chief Executive, Qualifications Wales
Chief Executive, Qualifications Wales
Prior to joining Qualifications Wales as Chief Executive in 2015, Philip was Director of Operations at UCAS. His career has been focused on the delivery of large-scale complex operations, and, before joining PwC, he had a background in the delivery of national assessments and examinations.
Philip was Director of Test Operations with the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency and part of an awarding body senior management team. Philip has postgraduate qualifications in business management and is a qualified project and programme manager.
Angharad Lloyd-Beynon
Policy, Stakeholder and Partnerships Manager (Nations and Ireland), City & Guilds
Angharad Lloyd-Beynon is a Policy, Stakeholder and Partnerships Manager at City & Guilds and looks after Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. She supports City & Guilds’ purpose of enabling people and organisations to unlock their potential and develop the knowledge and skills needed for personal and economic growth. Angharad works closely with key stakeholders across the nations to achieve this.
Angharad is a Liveryman for the Worshipful Livery Company of Wales. She is also a Board member for Thrive Group Wales and is a member of the Leadership Board for Business in The Community Wales. Angharad is also the Co-chair of the Federation of Awarding Bodies Wales.
Darren Howells
Chief Executive Officer, Agored Cymru
Darren joined Agored Cymru in 2019 as Deputy Chief Executive and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in May 2021.
Darren is responsible for setting Agored Cymru’s strategic direction. He leads the development and management of policy, business planning, risk assessment and the promotion of the organisation’s culture and values to wider stakeholder groups.
Workshop Presenters
Ben Cottam
Head of Wales, FSB
Ben Cottam is Head of Wales at FSB (Federation of Small Businesses). Before this, he was Head of ACCA Wales (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants). Ben is an active contributor to policy and debate around the growth of the Welsh economy sits on the Business Wales Task and Finish Group. He is a member of the First Minister’s Social Partnership Council and a member of the Local Advisory Board for the Career Ready Programme at Cardiff & Vale College.
Emma Banfield
Project Manager, Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales
Emma is the Project Manager for the Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales project, a Welsh Government funded programme of activities that raise awareness of vocational education and training and career pathways.
Emma joined the project in 2014 and is now responsible for the operational delivery of the programme. With a background in Marketing and Communications she has a proven record of building good relationships and has experience of working with key organisations across the education and training sector and Welsh Government.
Emma has a passion for skills and supporting young people to achieve excellence.
Lisa O’Connor
Academic Manager, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
After initially training as a secondary teacher of Welsh, Lisa was appointed as Bilingual Champion in Pembrokeshire College. In that role, responsibilities included developing the delivery of bilingual learning across the subject areas and levels as well as implementing the Development Strategy published by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol in 2019. This was ideal grounding for stepping into the Academic Manager for FE and apprenticeship’s role within the Coleg where Lisa now leads the team supporting providers with the strategy.
Hayden Llewellyn
Chief Executive, Education Workforce Council
Having joined the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) at its inception in 2000, he held the posts of Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Executive, before the body was renamed (to become the EWC) and its remit extended in April 2015.
Hayden has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, having also worked in further and higher education, the health service, policing, and for a multi-national retail company.
He has been a governor at a number of FE colleges in Wales over many years.
Mark Evans
HMI, Estyn
Mark has been an HMI with Estyn for nearly 20 years and is the lead officer for work-based learning/apprenticeships. Mark has significant inspection experience across the post-16 sector and well as compulsory education. Prior to joining Estyn Mark had extensive experience in the post-16 sector including leadership and senior management roles. This included the management and quality assurance of work-based learning provision. Mark is a qualified teacher with specific sector expertise in engineering and construction
Jassa Scott
Strategic Director, Estyn
Jassa leads Estyn’s work with post-16 sectors including further education, work-based learning, careers, adult learning in the community, learning in the justice sector, Welsh for adults and youth work. She also leads on advice to the Welsh Government and work on building capacity including effective practice. She oversees safeguarding, social justice, additional learning needs and inclusion as well as joint working with other inspection, audit and regulatory bodies.
Rachelle Bright
Community & Employer Engagement Lead, Time to Change Wales
Time to Change Wales is a national campaign to end the stigma & discrimination experienced by people living with mental health conditions. In her role as Community & Employer Engagement Lead, Rachelle supports the social movement to mobilise hundreds of individuals, employers & communities across Wales to come together as a collective voice against stigma. TtCW is funded by Welsh Government & managed in partnership between Adferiad & Mind Cymru.
Mark Smith
Lived Experience Mental Health Consultant
Mark has been a Time to Change Wales Champion since the campaign began. He has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and has worked in the mental health field in a variety of ways over the last 12 years. Mark is very open about his mental health, and will be happy to take questions during the session.
Dean Seabrook
Senior Qualifications Manager, Qualifications Wales
Dean leads the ‘Modernising Assessment’ project at Qualifications Wales, which explores how assessments taken within qualifications in the future can achieve an optimal balance between manageability, engagement, validity and reliability, supported by the effective use of digital technologies. He has previously worked on the reform of national qualifications in digital technology, and construction and the built environment.
Rhys Daniels
Director, Jisc Wales
Rhys Daniels started at Jisc’s Director for Wales in January and is responsible for ensuring Jisc’s strategy meets the needs of Welsh funders and members, as well as supporting and promoting the innovative work from providers in Wales.
Rhys is passionate about lifelong learning and widening participation, having worked in FE, work-based learning and the NTfW before joining Jisc from the Open University in Wales.
Michael Webb
Director of Technology and Analytics, Jisc Wales
Michael Webb leads Jisc’s national centre for AI in tertiary education, supporting the responsible and effective adoption of artificial intelligence across the tertiary education sector.
In addition to artificial intelligence, he has worked on projects involving learning analytics, data analysis, the Internet of Things and virtual reality. Before joining Jisc, Michael worked in the higher education sector, leading IT and learning technology services and teams at the University of Wales, Newport, and the University of Plymouth.
