The Secretary of State has appointed Chris Jones, Adele Gritten, Guto Bebb and Denise Lewis Poulton as members of the S4C board
Chris Jones
Chris has 25 years’ experience as a CEO, CFO and non-executive director (NED) in a range of businesses operating in highly regulated environments (utilities and financial services), with a strong focus on customer service and long-term sustainability.
He was a co-founder of Glas Cymru Cyf., which acquired Welsh Water for £1.7 billion in 2001 to create the UK’s only non-shareholder, private utility company. Chris was CFO of Welsh Water from 2001 to 2013 and then CEO until he stepped down in May 2020.
He is currently a NED of Xoserve Limited (the Central Data Services Provider for Britain’s gas market) and is a former NED of Principality Building Society. He is a Member of the Council of Cardiff University and has had a range of trustee and advisory roles with third sector organisations, including The Prince’s Trust, The Institute of Welsh Affairs, Water UK and CBI Wales.
Chris is a Welsh speaker, having learned as an adult. He was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2020.
Adele Gritten
Adele Gritten, born and bred in Swansea, is an experienced Board level Executive skilled in General Management, Business Strategy, Business Development, Marketing and Communications, Market Research, Competitive Intelligence and Data Analytics.
Adele has worked for Media Agencies, Media Owners and Research Agencies including the BBC, WPP and Omnicom owned agencies. She also launched Qmedia, a specialist Media Research Consultancy as part of Quaestor Research and Marketing Strategists.
For the last 15 years, Adele has been in Senior Management roles managing businesses ranging from 20 to 100+ employees. Until Dec 2019, Adele was UK Managing Director of Future Thinking managing 90 staff and a Group turnover of £13m.
Adele also served as EMEA MD for Lieberman Research Worldwide and as Commercial Director for YouGov where she oversaw all UK Consulting and Sector Verticals, delivering double digit YOY growth over a five- year period. Adele is currently supporting her local Cambridgeshire businesses diversity and pivot as part of pandemic recovery.
Throughout her varied experience, Adele has become adept at growing and transforming teams, including delivering synergies and operational efficiencies. A proven, respected and trusted leader, she holds an MA in Social and Political Science from the University of Cambridge.
Guto Bebb
Guto Bebb, who lives in Caernarfon, is the Group Managing Director of the Farmers Union of Wales having previously been the Managing Director of FUW Insurance Services Limited. Prior to his work with the FUW Guto was the MP for Aberconwy between 2010 and 2019. He is a former Under Secretary of State for Wales, a former Procurement Minister at the Ministry of Defence and was a Senior Government Whip in both the Cameron and May administrations. In addition to his Ministerial roles Guto was also a long-standing member of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee whilst also being a member of the Public Accounts Committee during his time at Westminster.
Before his election, Guto was a business consultant and company director and worked extensively with private sector businesses and public sector organisations in Wales and the wider UK. He was also involved with advising a number of third sector organisations including numerous cultural and arts initiatives. Guto also co-founded a bookshop in Caernarfon and has an interest in literature and a strong affinity with the Welsh language and culture. An avid record collector he would state that he collected vinyl records long before they became fashionable again.
Denise Lewis Poulton
Denise Lewis Poulton is an experienced strategic communications, brand and corporate affairs specialist. A Welsh speaker, born in Newcastle Emlyn, Cardiganshire and educated at Llandysul Grammar School and King’s College, University of London, her corporate career was spent largely in senior positions at international telecommunications companies such as Bell Canada, Cable & Wireless Communications and Orange plc.
She went on to establish a consulting practice advising many cultural, media and public sector organisations, including Welsh Government and Senedd Cymru – The Welsh Parliament as well as serving as a Trustee and Non Executive Director for a number of national cultural institutions, including Welsh National Opera, The Hay Literary Festival and The Wallace Collection.
She is an Honorary lifetime Fellow of BAFTA. Alongside running her consultancy, Denise is currently studying for a Masters in Cultural Leadership at The Royal Academy and the University of Maastricht.
These roles are not remunerated. The appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Chris, Adele and Denise have not declared any activity. Guto Bebb has declared that he was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Aberconwy until 2019.
