Wales Committee

 Andrea Callanan BMus (Hons) Music

Andrea has been instrumental in organising the Young Iod member activities in  Wales and was invited to join the Wales Committee in January this year.  She is the founder and owner of InspireMe, an engagement and self-development company. A voice expert, singer, speaker, coach and published author Andrea is a motivational entrepreneur with a proven track record in helping people find their passion, positivity and success in both their personal and professional lives.

Passionate about giving back, she’s a Big Ideas Role Model for the UK Welsh Government, mentor for young people in the creative industries and is the only female Strategic Board member for the Welsh Government’s Business Wales.  Her awards/interests include:  A top 25 inspirational Welsh woman 2016, 2014 small business Guardian Leader of the year, Entrepreneur of the year finalist at the 2015 Cardiff Business Awards. Huff Post blogger, Cardiff Life biz columnist, Welsh Government Business Wales Strategic Board member.

Melya Hughes Crameri PhD, BSc (Hons)

Dr.  Melya Hughes Crameri joined Ventac Partners in February 2015. She has over 20 years of experience in the life science industry both in the United States and Europe, working primarily with early stage companies and academic innovation.

Melya has served as a consultant to multiple early stage companies in the US, UK, Switzerland and Italy. Prior to Joining Ventac Partners, she was Founder & CEO of Caltherix Inc. a peptide-based technology spin-out of Amunix Inc. She served as VP Alliances & Intellectual Property of Evolva SA, a synthetic biology company, from Series A to its exit on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX:EVE), and was Founder & CEO of Genetic Chemistry Inc. (Evolva’s US subsidiary), securing multi-million dollar discovery contracts and supporting $50M in venture funding. Previously, she served as Head of Licensing and Patents, Novartis Research Foundation (FMI) developing and executing on their first patent and business strategy.

Earlier in her career, she was trained in intellectual property at Cooley Godward LLP before joining Geron Corp. as in-house counsel. She is a European Patent Attorney and a U.S Patent Agent. She worked as a postdoctoral scientist at IRBM (MSD), Italy and the FMI (Ciba-Geigy), Switzerland after earning her BSc (Hons.) in Biochemistry from Cardiff University, UK and her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Basel, Switzerland.

Liam Giles BA Product Design

Managing Director and Founder of Spindogs Ltd. As founder, Liam turned a business idea he formed at University into a rapidly growing digital agency that works with hundreds of businesses all over the world providing web design, applications and digital marketing services. He leads Spindogs and continually drives the company’s mission and vision, whilst ensuring that those who meet Spindogs achieve an excellent experience online and offline.

In 2013, Liam won IoD Young Director of the Year, and is a Board Member for Arts and Business Cymru and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Wales Advisory Board as well as a Non-Executive Director. He has been a passionate advocate of Young IoD Wales and its activities and was invited to join the IoD Wales Committee in January this year. When Liam isn’t getting under the skin of his clients’ businesses and understanding how their organisation works, you’ll find him watching rugby or making a Chocolate Cola Cake for the Spindogs team!

Nigel Stuart James C.Dir. FIoD

Chartered Director, IoD Fellow and a Mentor with Business Wales.  Started a medical recruitment business over 19 years ago, developed it to a multi sited operation with over £15m turnover. The business was then sold in 2004 to the ICS Group Nigel became part of the main group board as well as running one of the group’s main profit centres. Subsequently the group business continued to grow to a turnover in excess of £80m.  Nigel served on the group board until 2011 when he set up a consultancy business.

Nigel now works with directors/companies ranging from large multinationals (Sony UK Tec) to SME’s helping provide strategic advice/business coaching/mentoring, Non-Executive services or interim roles based around a working plan to help overcome the challenges they face enabling them to drive growth in their particular markets, whilst also providing a fresh independent viewpoint and challenge.

Stephen Jones LL.B (Hons) Law

MD for SANS Institute UK and Nordics Stephen is responsible for delivering the UK govt Cyber retraining programme and National Cyber Schools Programme in partnership with the DCMS, cabinet office and GCHQ ( Now in conjunction with the newly formed NCSC - National Cyber Security Centre ). Within his remit lies responsibility for all aspects of leadership and strategic overview of SANS in the UK and Nordics, the largest Cyber Security training organisation in the world.

SANS is the largest source for information security training and security certification in the world. It also develops, maintains, and makes available the largest collection of research documents about various aspects of information security, and it operates the Internet's early warning system - The Internet Storm Center.

By profession a practising Solicitor Advocate with more than 25 Years experience. Stephen is Managing Director and owner of Bowden Jones solicitors a progressive Law Practice in Cardiff in addition cyberlaw.co.uk. A Higher Courts Advocate with significant experience in Serious High Cost cases including cases of national importance. Often Involved in International multi jurisdiction complex cases from White Collar Crime and Serious Fraud and cyber offences to International drugs conspiracies. Stephen is regarded as one of the UKs leading lawyers in the field of Cyber Crime including complex and high profile criminal prosecutions and investigations in relation to computer misuse and cyber offences. 

Milica Kitson OBE LLB (Hons) FICE

Chief Executive of Constructing Excellence in Wales (CEW) since its inception in December 2002.  The role involves working with both public and private sector organisations in Wales encouraging the adoption of sustainable, collaborative working and proving the business case for change.  She Chairs the C E Network (8 Centres around the UK) and sits on the CE London Board. Immediately prior to becoming CEW Chief Executive Milica worked with the National Federation of Builders in Wales, working directly with construction SMEs. She sits on the NHS Wales Framework Project Board, the South East Wales Contractor Framework Board, the CLAW (Consortium Local Authorities in Wales) Board and a number of panels relating to construction delivery in Wales.

In 2008 Milica was awarded honorary Fellowship of the Institute of Civil Engineers and in June 2012 Milica was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her contribution to the construction industry in Wales.

Alastair Milburn

Founder and MD of Effective Communication.  Effective is one of the leading communications agencies in Wales, providing integrated communications support through public relations, social media and digital marketing. The company looks after the interests of many leading organisations, among them Cardiff Met University, Camelot, Peter's Pies, Acorn Recruitment, Jelf Insurance, and Glamorgan Cricket. Alastair was previously editor of the South Wales Echo.  He has provided support to IoD Wales for many years and was Chair of the Young Directors 2007 – 2010.

A veteran of 5 London Marathons and one New York, Alastair regularly raises thousands of pounds for local charities.

Quantitative & risk analyst, data scientist, developer, leader.  Set up Meirion Morgan Ltd. 2006.

Over a decade of experience in banking quant / development, mostly front office. Consultant on credit risk / derivative valuation to Lloyds, RBS, LCH. Co-founder of the credit derivative product company Channel Capital.

Creator of visualized.wales, a (Wordpress / JS / PHP / d3 based) site that brings data about Wales' demography and economy to a broad audience.  Chair of Gorwel, a small, Cardiff-based think tank. Co-authored the 2015 publication "Wales: Time for a realistic perspective". Chair of ProMo-Cymru, a charity that provides: Meic - the national advocacy, information and advice helpline for children and young people in Wales; FamilyPoint Cymru - a service directing families in Wales to essential services, advice, support and information; and also owns and runs the Ebbw Vale Institute, an excellent facility providing a programme of creative activities, learning and social enterprise development. Trustee of Making Music, Changing Lives, a charity modelled on the El Sistema project that aims to bring change into children's lives through playing musical instruments, and currently operates in Ely and Caerau.

Marianne set up Frogmore Consulting in 2011 and is an expert in transforming the 'Customer Experience'. Holder of the prestigious Winner in Wales, Department of Employment award for profit source solutions. Marianne has 30 years experience in increasing customer advocacy and value with her roles including strategic marketing, mapping the service journey, motivating people; building high performance teams: and managing mystery customer programmes.  She is also a published author and company secretary for the Pettifor Trust a charity devoted to the welfare of animals.

Marianne works diligently for IoD in Swansea ensuring there is a bi-monthly series of interesting speakers.  She was also instrumental in establishing the Swansea Women’s Soiree networking group.

Helen joined Aaron & Partners in 2007;  Head of Employment Team and an experienced advocate and accredited mediator. She has extensive experience in all aspects of employment law, both contentious and non-contentious, including negotiating and drafting, TUPE disputes and large scale redundancies, trade union disputes, discrimination and harassment cases, and Employment Tribunal representation. Helen undertakes all of her own advocacy at tribunals and gained higher rights of audience in 2005.

Helen studied criminology and French at Keele Univeristy, before attending Chester College of Law. She also has a Masters degree in industrial relations and employment law. She is currently studying for a PhD in employment law, with a particular focus on equality legislation  and discrimination law.

Helen has served as a Chair of IoD North Wales for over 9 years and stepped down as Chair in May 2018. She has worked tremendously hard to motivate her committee members.

Simon Williams joined Institute of Directors in Wales in October 2014 as a Business Development Manager, responsible for handling new memberships, existing memberships and lapsed membership enquires.

He brings with him a wealth of advertising and marketing sales expertise from a 37-year career at the Western Mail and South Wales Echo.

He has also previously held a Sales Director position at an advertising agency based in the Cardiff Bay Area of Cardiff and was a former Marketing Director at Cardiff City football club. 

Simon has also worked for San Francisco based computer company Intralink Inc, and for the infamous world sports brand leader Adidas.

North Wales Ambassadors

Mike Caulfield - Managing Director, Caulmert - Lead Ambassador

Andrew Bowden - Group CEO - Cartrefi Conwy

Kris Kupilas - Non-Executive Director, Aura Leisure & Libraries

Donna Milne - Director, Caulmert

David Roberts - Owner The Alternative Board (North Wales)

Helen Watson - Partner & Head of Employment Law Team, Aaron & Partners