North Wales Tourism consists of 12 non-executive directors who operate or manage tourism businesses. The sectors represented include hotels, farm guesthouses, hostels, self catering, touring caravan parks and visitor attractions. Board meetings are held 4 times per annum February, June, September and November.
NWT Directors
Jim Jones
Position: Managing Director
Ex-Welsh Guardsman Jim Jones is on a new mission to sell North Wales to the world. After leaving the forces he worked in local government - eventually heading up the tourism and communities department at Conwy Council.
Now he has taken the role as Managing Director of North Wales Tourism, the largest destination management organisation in Wales with a growing membership of more than 1,000. He is passionate about working in partnership to promote the region's spectacular landscape, heritage, culture, food and drink, accommodation along with the adventure and family attractions.
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Chris Frost
Position: Chair
Chris Frost is the owner of Manorhaus Ruthin, a Restaurant-with-Rooms, and Manorhaus Llangollen, a B&B. Chris and his partner set-up the Manorhaus in Ruthin some eighteen years ago and they opened their second property in Llangollen in 2012. He has been a Board member of the North Wales International Music Festival, is a former-Chair of Slow Food Llangollen and Ruthin Festival and is currently a North Wales Ambassador for Arts & Business Cymru.He has been a board member of NWT for eight years and Chair for two.
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Tanya Keith
Position: Vice-Chair
Tanya has been working at Bangor University over the past 6 years since returning from employment in London, New York and Hampshire. Tanya has a background of facility and property management and customer service delivery roles over the past 23 years working for such organisations in central London as Cluttons, Savilles and Chesterton Lalonde where she developed The Executive Rental Service which offered a “soft landings” programme for overseas executives into the UK to assist with all aspects of relocation. New York then followed with a Realtor Licence to rent/sell lofts in the Metropolitan New York area of the United States.
Tanya returned to North Wales with her family where for the past 3 years she was appointed Business Services Manager at Technium CAST, Bangor a high tech 60,000 sq ft facility which incubates early stage IT focussed starts ups and is part of an economic regeneration WEFO funded project. Other responsibility was the development of the set up and delivery of a conference and event management programme at CAST – thus drawing business tourism into the region. This particular facility had a footfall of visitors in the region of 1500 per month, many from all over the country and many of whom brought with them revenue opportunities for the local hotels in the area.
Tanya since joined the team at the Bangor Business School, Management Centre as Director of Events and Venue in June 2008 to develop and promote the facility as venue for training, workshops, conferences and events with the added benefit of onsite overnight guest accommodation. The facility has since achieved 4* grading for its accommodation and attained Gold Business Class standard as a business centre. Working very closely with WAG and the various local Councils, The Centre has gained reputation as a business hub in the area supporting not only local business networks but also attracting visitors both nationally and internationally into Bangor and surrounding area.
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Nicky Williamson
Position: Director
Nicky owns the West Arms in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, together with her husband Mark.
She grew up in North Wales before embarking on a varied career with international hospitality companies, both in the UK and globally and has now returned home to North Wales to run ‘a place of their own’.
For the most part of her career she has worked for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Starwood Hotels & Resorts (now Marriott International) in global leadership roles and with overall responsibility for Europe, Africa and Middle East. Her roles covered specialisms including Hotel operations, Brand development, development of Emerging Markets and Leadership Development.
Nicky is passionate about hospitality and encouraging more people into the industry, reflected in her development of international graduate management programmes and in her role lecturing BA and Masters students at Glion Institute of Hospitality.
Alongside The West Arms, Nicky continues to offer consultancy, primarily to support businesses through Coaching, Training and Employer Brand development.
‘North Wales has so much to offer and I am looking forward to giving as much as I can to support the growth of such an amazing region at such a pivotal time in its development.’
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Andrew Oughton
Position: Director
Andrew Oughton, Snowdonia National Park Centre, Plas Tan y Bwlch, Maentwrog – currently the Head of Business, Andrew has worked at the centre for over 30 years. Passionate about the countryside, the environment and culture and how best these can be managed for the enjoyment of residents and visitors. Andrew regularly attends trade fairs and consumer shows as a partner with NWT as he feels it is the only way to meet new clients and gain an understanding of their requirements.
During his time as the centre manager at Plas Tan y Bwlch Andrew has won a Visit Wales National Tourism Award, been awarded the Customer Service Excellence hallmark by the Cabinet Office and taken the centre through EcoCentre accreditation. Andrew was the lead officer on the development of a hydro electricity power scheme for the centre which now provides over half of the electricity requirements.
Andrew is the former chairman of the board of trustees of Theatr Harlech and led the battle to keep this small independent theatre’s doors open in challenging times.
“I believe our biggest asset, as a membership organisation, is each other – we should share our own experiences, learn from each other and work together for the benefit of tourism throughout the whole region.”
If elected to continue as a director of North Wales Tourism Andrew commits to bringing his enthusiasm, knowledge and experience to the organisation.
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Ruth Higgin
Position: Director
Ruth Higgin, Ty Mawr Tearooms B&B, Llanddeiniolen – I have been in the hospitality industry for many years. For the last 8 years I have run a B & B Tearooms/Restaurant with my husband on the edge of Snowdonia.
Having lived in North Wales for 37 years, I realise the importance of tourism and how important growth and development is paramount to the community and us as business owners.
In previous years I ran a food oriented Pub and a Catering Company, with a customers like MBNA, M & SFS, Rolls Royce and BMW, then in Sales and Marketing for an International FMCG Company.
In my leisure time (winter time) I enjoy watercolour painting and walking our Labradors in the mountains and by the sea.
If given the pleasure of being elected as a director of North Wales Tourism, I look forward to assisting my peers in driving forward the message of bring more people to one of the most beautiful parts of the world.
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Michael Bewick
Position: Director
Michael sees his role as encouraging working across the tourism sector and keeping a focus on the unique heritage and culture which makes North Wales an appealing destination. He is Chair of the North Wales Tourism Forum which brings together the private sector, local authorities and Government and during the current crisis has represented the region on the Welsh Government Covid-19 Taskforce making the case for the safe reopening of our sector. He has established a Sub Group for the Region which is working to develop a new vision for the future of tourism which is both sustainable and profitable bringing together businesses and communities in common purpose.
Educated at Caius, Cambridge his career began in Opera before moving to the National Portrait Gallery and then commercial theatre marketing. After a move to the country Michael became Director of The Corn Exchange Newbury. In 2002 Michael and his partner Nick Golding moved to Wales where they restored Plas Tan-yr-allt a listed building once home to William Madocks and later Percy Bysshe Shelley. Creating a hotel which two years later won a coveted Cesar Award from the Good Hotel Guide. In 2011 Michael took responsibility for the management and development of the Llechwedd Slate Caverns before becoming Group Managing Director of J W Greaves & Sons the historic company which owns the land at Llechwedd. In his time with the business he has restructured both the tourism and quarrying businesses transforming the Group’s prospects for the future – visitor numbers have gone from 48,000 to over 200,000 due to collaborative working with Antur Stiniog and Zip World. The Group returned to profitability in 2015 after a period of losses and employment on the site has increased from under 50 to well over 120.
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Lucy Miller
Position: Director
Having spent every summer of her childhood in Trearddur Bay and then every summer of her children’s childhoods in Church Bay, it seemed only right that a permanent move to Anglesey should be made. Lucy and John Miller moved to Anglesey in April 2013 with a view to starting a tourism business after completing lengthy research in this field and noting a significant gap in the market.
She and her husband chose to play their part in filling this gap by creating a glamping business, providing high specification pods with their own bathrooms. This has been so successful that in their first year of trading (2015) they were recognised as being one of the top 10 glamping sites in Wales by Welsh Coastal Life and in their second, top 15 self-catering in Wales by the same company – there is an accreditation for this year but it is not yet published yet. Lucy believes it is important to integrate within the country in which you live and has been learning Welsh since September 2016.
Before moving to Anglesey, Lucy worked successfully in enterprise education; educating, encouraging and supporting young entrepreneurs with Young Enterprise as Director of Programmes and Sales and the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy. She feels very strongly that these skills should be shared and the benefit of her experience be used to aid start-ups in tourism, which is one of North Wales’ biggest income streams. As an ex Market Researcher for major PLCs including Dixons and Cape Industries, Lucy is skilled at interpreting numbers and believes these skills would be of significant help to North Wales Tourism in helping identify where improvements could be made in raising the profile and encouraging new start-ups in this area if elected as a Director.
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Jan Harrop
Position: Director
Glenn Evans
Position: Director
Glenn Evans, Managing Director Royal Oak Hotel Ltd (Betws-y-Coed) - Glenn returned to the family business after a successful career in London as a Solicitor specialising in medical negligence. Upon his return to Betws-y-Coed in 1997, Glenn initiated a refurbishment and development plan for the company’s flagship hotel The Royal Oak. By masterplanning the site the Royal Oak stood on the company doubled it’s room capacity and added retail areas and a stand alone F&B outlet making it the go-to destination venue in Betws-y-Coed. In 2001 the company acquired the Waterloo Hotel and added Leisure facilities to it’s portfolio.
Having grown up in the village Glenn understands the demands and adaptations seasonal businesses require to thrive and has worked steadfastly with the local Tourism Committee to attract year round trade for the village. Glenn has been a board member of Betws Ymlaen, a local community group who organise and hold national level events, whose aim is to leave a sustainable legacy for future generations. Glenn has also been involved with Arts & Business Cymru & a member of their directors' pool, alongside a host of community forums and boards to include the Betws-y-Coed and District Tourist Association and the Snowdonia Arts Festival.
In taking an inclusive approach to community and business and understanding the inherent needs of rural living, alongside his background in law, Glenn hopes to bring expertise and insight to the North Wales Tourism Board.
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Frankie Hobro
Position: Director
Frankie Hobro is the Owner and Director of Anglesey Sea Zoo & Marine Resource Centre and she has always been a passionate advocate for conservation and sustainability. Frankie gained years of experience working on hands-on conservation projects with critically endangered species across the globe, often in challenging and isolated conditions, in both terrestrial and marine environments, including island nature reserve and endangered species management and establishing long-term sustainable ecotourism projects.
Frankie is specialised in all aspects of eco-tourism, having filled many roles across the spectrum from exclusive private islands to not-for-profit nature reserves, working with elite and high profile guests in a five star environment, managing interactive conservation projects and visitor expectations, creating bespoke ecotourism tours and optimising guest experiences.
Having spent a large amount of her childhood in North Wales and on Anglesey, Frankie returned to do postgraduate studies at Bangor University School of Ocean Sciences in 2001, then she returned and settled on Anglesey when she bought the Anglesey Sea Zoo in 2007, becoming the sole Owner and Director of the business in 2013.
Since purchasing the business Frankie has transformed it into the only exclusively British aquarium, housing only native species with an entirely natural sea water supply directly from the Menai Strait and specialising in the captive breeding of endangered native species for reintroduction into the wild. As well as being a major tourist attraction and local employer, the Anglesey Sea Zoo is an essential community and research hub, uniquely focussing on sustainability, education, marine conservation and breeding programmes for endangered native species such as seahorses and lobsters.
Frankie has set up successful bilingual education and outreach programmes at the Sea Zoo and a voluntary marine animal rescue centre, with the capacity to rescue and rehabilitate all kinds of stranded or injured marine animals, as well as a non-profit-making beach clean group which has been running for over a decade in collaboration with Keep Wales Tidy and the Marine Conservation Society.
Frankie is a Role Model and Inspirational Speaker for Big Ideas Wales, promoting entrepreneurship and skills-based learning, particularly promoting STEM and encouraging more women to follow careers in science and business, whilst also constantly working on increasing the sustainability of the business and local community involvement in marine based activities and projects. Frankie is also actively involved in promoting relations and links between North Wales and Japan following a visit to Japan in November 2018.
As well as gaining numerous environmental awards and accreditations, in July 2019 Frankie was honoured with the extremely prestigious award of Bangor University Alumnus of the Year. She continues to strive to optimise tourism and hospitality revenue through maximum sustainability and environmental awareness with the ambition of the Welsh Tourism sector becoming a global leader in sustainable ecotourism.
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Justin Everley
Position: Director
Justin Everley – Commercial Director - Adventure Parc Snowdonia & Snowdonia Hotel Ltd.
Justin is an MBA qualified professional, possessing extensive marketing, management and commercial acumen and experience. In addition to founding and selling several private businesses, Justin has considerable experience in sport and leisure markets and has worked in senior roles in the UK, Australia, Qatar and the UAE. Justin returned to the UK in 2016 to join Surf Snowdonia. Justin has been an integral part of the ongoing development of the business as it has rebranded to Adventure Parc Snowdonia and has been directly involved in the two most recent projects, the £4m Adrenaline Indoors Adventure building and the 106 bedroom Hilton Garden Inn Snowdonia (currently under construction. Away from his professional life, Justin has two young children and is a keen ultra-marathon runner and mountain biker.
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Maria Mclean
Position: Director
Maria Mclean is Business Development Manager for Dylan's restaurant group and has over 25 years of hospitality experience, working in the UK, Europe and North America. A sales and marketing specialist, Maria has worked with international brands such as Accor and Hilton and smaller independent luxury hotel chains both in national and international leadership roles. Having spent 13 years living in France, Maria created her own marketing agency, working with luxury hospitality brands including Sotheby's Real Estate developing national and international marketing strategies across their villa rental brands. Having fallen in love with North Wales thanks to friends living in Llandudno Maria moved to Conwy in 2017 and began working with Dylan’s in 2018 to develop their event business and increase market share of their retail lines. Maria is passionate about North Wales and in working with local business to increase tourism throughout the region.
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