Who we are

The board

Chairman

Ann Hemingway is Chairman of Fair Trade Wales and a member of the local Fair Trade Group in Usk Monmouthshire. Ann is an experienced businesswoman qualified in Home Economics and Marketing. Her early career experience was in publicity for the milling industry before she moved to British Gas, initially in a marketing role using her home economics background but later taking senior management positions in information technology, human resources and general management of customer service operations.  She played a significant role in developing the new direction for British Gas from privatisation through to demerger, leading the management team responsible for customer service in the first phase of gas competition.  She has held a number of non-executive posts in the Department for Transport and its agencies and was a board member and chairman of the Wales Advisory Committee of the Food Standards Agency during its first six years.  She currently holds two non-executive roles in the public sector.

Company secretary

Julian Rosser is from Bridgend in South Wales and started campaigning for CND and the Wales Anti-Apartheid Movement when he was fourteen.  He studied Philosophy and History of Ideas at the University of Hertfordshire before returning to Wales to volunteer for Friends of the Earth Cymru. He was Local Groups Development Officer for the organisation from 1997-2000 and then its Director until 2007. At Friends of the Earth Cymru, Julian led the campaign to stop genetically modified crops being grown in Wales and for the Welsh Assembly to set tough targets for the reduction in greenhouse gases. Julian joined Oxfam Cymru as Campaigns Co-ordinator in 2007, leading the group’s work on climate change and chairing the coalition Stop Climate Chaos Cymru from 2009-2011. He has been a member of the Board of Fair Trade Wales since its incorporation in 2009.

Board members

Nia Higginbotham is currently the Chair of the Conwy County Fairtrade Coalition and has overseen the certification of five FT towns in the period of her chairmanship.  Previously in her work with TCC she helped steer Wrexham to be the first FT County in Wales and develop Wales as a Fairtrade nation. 

Nia originally trained as a social worker, becoming team leader and manager in residential and fieldwork settings in both statutory and voluntary organisations in Scotland and Northern Ireland.  She founded the first Community Organising charity  in Wales, bringing together a range of faith and secular groups, which, through a programme of action and training, develop leaders able to translate their beliefs into community change. TCC is the oldest Community Organising group in the UK.

Nia has also taught in University, college, distance learning and community settings and continues to be involved with a range of voluntary organisations.

Tricia Carter's  background is in the commercial world, in particular strategic planning  and marketing. Tricia has sat on a number of Boards as a Director with principle responsibility for marketing  Tricia  was a Chief Executive of a specialised company providing technology into the Financial World visiting most countries in Europe, Turkey and South Africa

In the last few years she has run her own company providing consultancy to a number of large companies in the UK advising on strategy and market development.  

Tricia was also one of the founders of the Fair Trade movement in Lampeter and became it's Chair. Tricia developed and Chaired the Lampeter Business Club and was a director of Menter Llambed and Chair of the Lampeter Twinning Committee which gave her particular pleasure in travelling and meeting people in the twinned town of St. Germain sur Moine.

Tricia was appointed as Chair of the Ethical Standards Committee for Dyfed Powys Police Authority responsible for the introduction and oversight of the code of conduct.

Tricia joined the Council of the University of Wales Lampeter some eight years ago and was appointed to a number of committee's which included chairing the Estates Committee. She was subsequently elected Vice President and Chair of the Council.

Gwenan Parry is a member of Gwynedd Council's Management Team where she is responsible for heading a range of services that include libraries; Council land and properties; IT and customer services.  Her background is in communications and marketing.  

Kevin Morgan is Currently Professor, School of City of Regional Planning, Cardiff University, (1994 - Present) with wide ranging experience in related areas reaching back to the mid 1980s. External activities in recent years have largely revolved around research interests. With activities ranging from the local to the international scale. including; Adviser to the ODPM Select Committee inquiry into Reducing Regional Disparities in Prosperity.A founding member of the Regional Technology Plan Steering Committee in Wales. Chairmanship of Penrhys Partnership Co-director of Cardiff University's Regeneration Institute, Involved in small advisory and consultancy projects for public, private and third sector organisations. Chamber of Commerce, the Welsh Development Agency and the US Office of Technology Assessment. Acted as an adviser and a commentator to a wide array of print and broadcast media organisations.

Eluned Rowlands is a Director of Fair Trade Wales and Chairperson of Aberaeron Fair Trade Town group and is actively involved in promoting and raising awareness around Fair Trade in the area.  She has over 20 years experience within the post 16 Work Based learning sector including leadership and management roles.  Eluned also undertakes volunteering work as a CRUSE bereavement volunteer and campaigns on various issues around injustice and poverty.  

Tamsin Wallbank graduated with a BA(Hons) Philospohy in 1996 from University of Hertfordshire & Aston University. She spent several years working for various high street banks returned to university in 2000 to do an MSc in Business & IT and is currently looking to learn how to eat fire & sky dive.

Staff

National coordinator

Elen Jones is a bi-lingual campaigner who cares about impact. Be it an individual’s impact by making one small change and assisting others to follow suit, to organisations and governments changing policy from the top. It’s all about impact. 

Experience in the public sector includes the Benefits Agency, The Welsh Office and Police Complaints Commission and in the private and voluntary sectors from Hyder, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water and Common Purpose involving the fields of customer service, training, facilitation, event management, community devlopment and project management. Elen thrills working with motivated and inspiring individuals and groups who want to make a difference. 

Elen’s current day to day role is to provide direction for a small team supporting a grass-roots framework of campaigners who wish to provide a better chance for the developing world through education, procurement and policy. 

Schools

Helen Bradley is the Schools Manager 

Campaigns

Tristan Humphreys is the Campaigns Manager

Project Staff

Steve Smith is working on a Digital Media programme and will be piloting a training scheme that aims to bring a new dimension to the Fair Trade Nation campaign and local groups, and link Welsh supporters with Fair Trade producers. Watch this space

Volunteers

Katarina Frankel is currently with us on a 3 month internship, from Sweden and will hopefully help Sweden become a fair Trade nation too!