Welsh Government Review of Cadw to be led by Roger Lewis
Adolygiad Llywodraeth Cymru o Cadw i'w arwain gan Roger Lewis
The Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden has announced the establishment of a task and finish group which will consider Cadw’s current governance arrangements and how effective they are for its operation and the wider provision of public heritage services at a national level across Wales.
The task and finish group will be chaired by Roger Lewis, who steps down as President of Amgueddfa Cymru, National Museum of Wales, at the end of this year.
A decision was made in 2017 for Cadw to remain within Welsh Government as an Internal Agency but with increased operational and commercial freedoms that would enable it to function more effectively and efficiently in delivering its wide range of roles and responsibilities.
An operating Board with external expertise was subsequently established to support these new arrangements, with the intention of undertaking a review once they had been in operation for five years - a milestone that has now been reached.
Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden said:
“I have asked Roger Lewis to chair this Cadw review in recognition of his many years of experience in the cultural, business, and civic life of Wales. The intention was always to undertake such a review when the new governance arrangements for Cadw were established in 2017 and I am pleased that Roger has agreed to lead on it, working closely with the current Chair of Cadw Jane Richardson.
“Roger’s experience of commercial operations will complement the heritage expertise that already exists across the current Board membership and staff at Cadw.”
The review is expected to launch in January and report to the Deputy Minister later in the year.
Looking ahead to his new role, Roger Lewis said:
“It is a great honour to lead this review of Cadw, one of the great and successful cultural bodies in Wales. Its role in caring and protecting our historic places, inspiring current and future generations is of vital importance for our country.
“Our historic places play a vital role in shaping a modern Wales. As the Board of Cadw says, ‘we look back in order we can see ahead, providing a living link to our diverse histories and to help to make sense of our place in an ever-changing world’. I look forward to working with the team at Cadw in what promises to be a very positive experience for us all.”
Jane Richardson, Chair of Cadw, said:
“This is exactly the right time to be undertaking a review of Cadw’s governance arrangements and to consider how the organisation can best support and champion the heritage of Wales into the future. I am delighted that Roger has been asked to Chair the review group, and I very much look forward to working with him on it.”
Notes to editors
Cadw has a leading role in protecting and conserving, and in providing access to Wales’ outstanding historic places, including its monuments, historic buildings, and historic landscapes. It is a major visitor business and a conservation body with statutory responsibility for conserving and providing safe public access to 130 of Wales most significant historic sites such as Caernarfon and Caerphilly Castles and Tintern Abbey. It is also a regulatory authority, responsible for identifying historic buildings and monuments of national importance that require protection either through listing or scheduling. It oversees the consenting regime for the management of change that affects these historic places and supports the Welsh Ministers in the development of policy and legislation to support the historic environment of Wales. In short it is the Welsh Government’s ‘champion’ for the heritage of Wales’.
Roger Lewis has played an active part in the civic, cultural, and business life of Wales since returning in 2004 to be Managing Director of ITV Wales, before becoming the Group Chief Executive of the Welsh Rugby Union and Millennium Stadium.
For the Welsh Government, he was a member of the Wales Arts Review Panel to examine the funding of the arts in Wales, chaired the Cardiff Capital Region and Cardiff Airport and is the Wales Board Member on “Unboxed” the 2022 Celebration of Creativity. Roger Lewis was the 2022 Wales panel member for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours Competition which awarded City Status to eight towns, including Wrexham. In 2011 Roger chaired the cross-party Yes for Wales campaign which secured further powers for the Senedd.
Over the past 40 years Roger Lewis has held senior executive positions at the BBC, ITV, Classic FM, EMI, Decca and the WRU
He has been President of Amgueddfa Cymru, National Museum of Wales since 2019.