Swansea Bay Business Club has announced the appointment of new President Paul Gardner, who has pledged to build upon the Club’s success as an effective voice for South West Wales businesses.
Paul Gardner, Sales and Marketing Director for Swansea Headquartered insurance broker, Prescott Jones has been appointed as the Club’s new President, with Alan Brayley, Managing Director of AB Glass, taking on the role of Deputy President.
Paul has been an active member of board of the business club for six years, joining around the same time he took up the role at Prescott Jones. Prior to joining the firm, Paul worked for both HSBC and Thomas Carroll in high-profile sales and marketing roles across the UK.
Paul comments: “Having moved back to Wales, there seemed no better way of understanding the region and the people than by contributing towards the local business scene. As one of the longest established clubs in the area, Swansea Bay Business Club was a natural choice for me and I was delighted to join the board. I’ve enjoyed contributing to the activity and ongoing growth of the club and it felt like a natural progression to step up to the presidency following the departure of Hayley Davies, who has done an outstanding job of leading the club, raising its profile as well as fundraising a record amount of money for charity, the most a president has raised in the history of the club.”
Hayley Davies, CEO and Director of South West Wales law firm JCP Solicitors, has stepped down as president after two years of serving the club and having been a board member of the Business Club for a decade prior to her presidency. Hayley will continue to serve on the board and she leaves behind an impressive legacy, having raised over £62,000 for her chosen charity, Ty Hafan.
Hayley said: “Swansea Bay Business Club is going from strength to strength and it has proved itself to be an effective and valuable resource for local businesses. I look forward to seeing the club extend its reach and its influence in the future under Paul’s leadership. Paul’s experience of business positions him as an excellent successor for the role. I’ve worked with him for a number of years and his enthusiasm and business acumen makes him an excellent choice to lead the club as we continue to grow and prosper.
“I am very happy to be passing the baton on to Paul, whose drive and positive attitude has been an asset to the club for many years. ”
Paul continues: “My time as President comes at a critical time for the Swansea Bay City Region as the area is faced with the challenge of delivering on the exciting opportunities secured following the approval of the £1.3billion City Deal. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to provide many thousands of new jobs and 11 new projects across the entire region we represent. Of course, drawing up plans for these projects is one thing but delivering on them is altogether different.
“The Club will be a supportive partner when appropriate and can be a positive conduit between local, Welsh and national government and the private sector whose funds and skills are also critical in the delivery of projects.”
Speaking of his plans for his tenure, Paul comments: “I’m keen to build on the already stellar reputation of the club and continue the successful expansion into West Wales without forgetting what we are all about which is creating an environment for building social and professional business relationships.”
Paul concludes: ‘I will approach my tenure as President with the same level of enthusiasm and commitment our outgoing President Hayley has shown over the past two years and look forward to working with businesses across South West Wales.”