The Commissioners
Derec Llwyd Morgan (Chairman)
Derec Llwyd Morgan was Vice-chancellor of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (1995-2004) and Senior Vice-chancellor of the [Federal] University of Wales (2001-2004).
He served on the Broadcasting Council for Wales in the early nineties and was the Welsh Member or the Independent Television Commission from 1999 to 2003. Former Professor of Welsh, poet and literary critic, he is the Chairman of the Kyffin Williams Trust, and is a member of the Pantyfedwen Trust.
Tim Bennett
Tim Bennett, a first generation farmer, has farmed near Carmarthen in SW Wales for 30 years, producing milk, eggs and Aberdeen Angus beef.
Shadow Chair of the Dairy Sector Board since March 2007, he is also a board member of Levy Board UK (Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board from 1st April 2008) and a board member of both the Food Standards Agency and the Meat Hygiene Service.
He is also a council member of Food From Britain, a trustee of FWAG (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group), and a member of the Agricultural Land Tribunal in Wales.
Previously President of the National Farmers’ Union and a Governor of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, he is a Fellow of the Institute of Grocery Distribution and an Associate of the Royal Agricultural Societies.
Owain Llywelyn
Brought up and educated in Bethesda, Gwynedd, Owain Llywelyn is a Chartered Surveyor who has for the past 25 years advised a wide range of both public and private clients in the U.K. on commercial property matters. A Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Owain has served as Chair of the RICS Council for some 6 years and was a major mover in achieving National Association status for its Welsh membership.
Owain was an elected Councillor for some years representing Pontypridd town and held various Chairmanships including Planning, Policy and Economic Development. Currently he runs a private commercial property consultancy and is a Principal lecturer at the University of Glamorgan.
Iwan Parry
Iwan Wyn Parry has practiced as a Veterinary Surgeon in Dolgellau for 20 years. Since 1987 he has been responsible for developing the practice from a three person to an eleven vets practice providing Veterinary cover for the large rural area of North and Mid Wales.
As a consequence he has first hand experience of generating and maintaining a business in Rural Wales and understands the serious problems with affordable housing which exist in the area.
Aneurin Phillips – Chief Executive of Snowdonia National Park Authority
A planner by profession and a former member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, Aneurin was appointed to the post of Chief Executive in 2003. Prior to joining the Snowdonia National Park Authority he was the Head of Planning Services with Denbighshire County Council (1996 – 2003) and Deputy District Planning Officer with Glyndwr District Council (1992 – 1996).
As Head of Planning Services in 2002 Denbighshire became the first local planning authority in Wales to adopt a Unitary Development Plan. More recently he chaired the all Wales partnership group that produced a toolkit for assessing the impact of development on the Welsh language, Planning and the Welsh Language: the Way Ahead (2005).
As well as his commitment to the National Park, Aneurin is the Secretary of the Welsh Association of National Park Authorities. Aneurin holds degrees in both Geography (BA, Aberystwyth) and Town Planning (MA, Cardiff).
Vivienne Sugar, Chair of the Welsh Consumer Council
Vivienne Sugar became Chair of the Welsh Consumer Council in April 2003, shortly after her retirement as Chief Executive of the City and County of Swansea, a post that she had held since 1995.
Vivienne now works as a Consultant to Government and Local Government and is an Independent Adviser for Public Appointments. Between 2002 and 2004, she was also a member of the Richard Commission, which reviewed the powers and electoral arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales.
She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing having previously been Director of Housing at both Cardiff and Newport. In 2005 she was appointed as Wales Advisor to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and also became a Vice President of Swansea University.
Paul Milborne - Lead academic
Paul Milbourne is Professor at the School of City and regional Planning, Cardiff University.
His research interests include the geographies of poverty, housing, homelessness and welfare, with a particular focus on rural areas. He is Director of the University's Centre for Research on Environment, Society and Space, and Director of the Wales Rural Observatory, which is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.
