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Interview with Gareth Hall Interview Interview with Gareth Hall remain, as these are very important for the Welsh Assembly Government to pursue its aims and policies in making Wales a better country. The functions of the WDA in economic development and wider regeneration have a direct role to play in increasing and spreading prosperity, for creating stronger and safer communities, for generating better jobs and skills and getting more people into work. We will continue to be instrumental with our partners in these long term aspirations. Could you explain the role of the WDA for our readers’ benefit? The WDA has been in existence for over 27 years. We are in the business of providing support to our customers. These range from new start ups right up to multinational companies, indigenous businesses operating in a diverse range of sectors, companies coming into Wales through inward investment and companies operating in Wales that are run by overseas parents. We recognise in the Agency that businesses employ people, and those people and businesses operate within communities. The WDA cannot deliver business support in isolation, so the merger is very much about true partnerships, recognising peoples’ strengths and making sure we deliver a better service to our customers. The Welsh Economic Review editorial team recently interviewed Gareth Hall who was How have you measured the appointed as Chief Executive of the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) in July 2004. success of your activities in the Gareth joined the Agency in 1991, working in land reclamation, urban regeneration past, and how may this change? and property development across Wales. In April 2001 he became Executive Director, Traditionally, as with all other Strategy Development responsible for corporate and business planning, performance development agencies, our performance management, European funding and rural policy. Gareth was previously Managing has been judged by hard outputs, for Director South West Division based in Swansea and responsible for developing the example, how many jobs have been Technium concept, Baglan Energy Park and the Llanelli Millennium Coastal Park. He created or how much private sector was educated at the Universities of the West of England, Reading and Cardiff, leverage has been secured. Whilst qualified as a chartered surveyor, and as Defence Land Agent Wales was responsible themes remain valid, I believe that the for the MOD estate in the Principality, covering acquisitions, disposals, nature merged organisation needs to develop a conservation and military training. He is a visiting lecturer in the department of City more appropriate suite of performance and Regional Planning, Cardiff University, a Director of the Wales European Centre, targets. Overall, Wales has almost full and a member of the Welsh Economic Research Advisory Panel. employment, but social exclusion is a key issue. We are working with partners There is considerable press Development and Transport Minister – a to help get economically inactive people coverage at the moment regarding political decision which I fully accept). back into the labour pool. These the restructuring of the Welsh The second intention is to create a new activities call for performance measures Development Agency (WDA)- can public service in Wales. The First which could gauge the outcomes over you provide a brief explanation of Minister wants this new public service to the longer term. these events? deliver better service to the customers; First of all, this is not a takeover by the the citizens, businesses and We are working daily on the merger, and Assembly Government. It is, however, a communities across Wales. He wants to there are a number of work streams that merger of the WDA, the Wales Tourist take advantage of best practice within have been set up. For example, we all Board and the Assembly Government’s the civil service, the WDA and other appreciate that you can’t merge four Economic Development and Transport sponsored bodies . organisations who have got four Division. If you go back to the first difference finance systems, different HR principles of the merger announcement, What impact will these changes and IT, so we are deriving synergies and Rhodri Morgan, the First Minister, said have on WDA activities? economies of scale. We are also looking that he wanted to achieve two things: to The functions of the WDA remain wholly at the processes, everything from make organisations like the WDA valid. Whilst the necessary orders under business planning to financial and directly accountable (that is why we will secondary legislation will seek to abolish output management and performance - be accountable to the Economic the WDA Board, our functions will looking more towards outcomes and 32 Interview how well we deliver solutions. We need the other, whilst retaining the essential inward investment is not just about to be judged by how we can add value core values but also taking on board the attracting companies from abroad into to our customers’ activities. global reach of HSBC. Wales, but once they have set up in Wales we treat them as indigenous Is it going to be less easy to develop This begs the question, how would such businesses embedding them in the longer term targets when you are a brand help in tackling the key issue of Welsh economy and their local part of the Welsh Assembly economic inactivity? I see the communities, with a view to expansion Government in the sense that your promotion of Wales as an innovative and and reinvestment over the longer term. activities are governed by the inclusive country as part and parcel of prevailing political party? raising our citizens aspirations and self- If demand for large scale foreign The WDA has always pursued the esteem. Also, whilst the WDA branding direct greenfield investment priorities of the Government of the day. has a high degree of recognition, this recovered, would you still respond? These are set out in the remit letter would be enhanced significantly We would, where such interest matched from the Minister for Economic amongst target business audiences in the Wales proposition. The inward Development and Transport. This was the USA, Europe and Far East, through investment market has changed. For also the case in the Welsh Office days. adopting the strap line, ‘Wales: Home of example, there are companies in China Our overall strategy and key investment the Ryder Cup in 2010’. and India looking to set up operations to decisions are overseen by the Agency’s serve the expanding European market. Board of non-executive directors drawn Do you see any change in WDA Wales is well placed to respond to their from business, the trade unions and emphasis over the last few years needs. We can offer the opportunity to voluntary sectors. The Board is to be between developing indigenous ‘dip their toe into the water’ whilst abolished from April 2006, but I am very companies and putting effort into building market knowledge and much of the view that from this date the attracting FDI? networks ahead of further investment. Minister should have access to a panel I believe that this is a facile debate. My of such experienced people to help view, and I know this is also the view of The scale of truly global mobile foreign inform decisions on strategy and policy. the Assembly Government, is that we direct investment has reduced in recent are in the business of supporting years, whilst at the same time What is going to happen to the WDA businesses that have the potential for competition has increased. However, name? growth and to become more competitive levels of merger and acquisition activity There is a whole debate going on at the and therefore contribute to increasing are on the up and Wales continues to moment about branding. My view on and spreading prosperity. These more than punch its weight in this area, this is that branding is about more than businesses can be anything from a new as we do in securing reinvestment by logos. Marketeers quite rightly tell me start up to an inward investment from a overseas owned businesses. that branding is about the values and Fortune 500 company or expansion by the service that the organisation long established Welsh based You have referred to key sectors. delivers to customers. I very much want businesses be they indigenous or Would you refuse companies into what this brand represents, especially in foreign owned. The common Wales if they are not in the right terms of customer service and delivery, denominator is that they are innovative sectors, for example, if they were to be preserved and built upon as part of and have the potential for sustainable engaged in low value-added the merger process. For example, the growth, and our support can help with activities associated with low pay? activities of the Wales Tourist Board and that growth. This is another misunderstanding. Wales Trade International, demonstrate Businesses are in the business of there is a lot of common ground in the How will you be able to identify this making money and businesses would service that we seek to deliver to potential? only consider Wales if it was a sound customers. Following the merger we We have got to be smarter. As our proposition for their business. I have will deliver it in a more joined up way, customers become more sophisticated, mentioned that we are being much more whilst still espousing these core values. so must we in the support that we can proactive with targeting. In Wales we offer them. We are therefore becoming have established emerging sectors What will people call this package? more proactive and targeted. We are including aerospace, automotive, and I honestly don’t know at this stage.
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