Can a country be a brand and if so how has ‘Brand Wales’ been adapted over the past 50 years? Most commentators will agree that sport, music, food and more recently politics have all contributed to Brand Wales. The panel will include speakers from the world of sport, entertainment, food and politics and will address issues including what is a brand? Who is the audience? And, can we be proud of stereotypes?

This event is presented by the National Assembly for Wales Commission as one of their official Pierhead Sessions. The Pierhead Sessions is a 3 day event that took place from 4th – 6th March 2010 in the iconic Pierhead Building, and brought together the sharpest minds to focus on issues that affect you, Wales, and the World. To find out more and watch this year’s sessions click here.

Adapting Brand Wales panel

Yvette Vaughn Jones (Chair)
Yvette is currently Chief Executive of Visiting Arts, the UK representative on the EU working group on Cultural Mobility, a trustee of the Big Art Trust and part of the public diplomacy working group. She was previously working in Brussels for 3 years as the Policy Manager for the Wales Centre and played a role in Cultural Policy debates within the EU before returning to Cardiff to write the city’s bid for City of Culture 2008. Following this, she was the Director of the Cultural programme for Cardiff 2005. She has a long career in the arts, particularly in Wales where she was co-founder of Wales Arts International, a partnership between the Arts Council of Wales and the British Council. She is an active member of the Cultural Cities Network that links those cities that received Urban Cultural Programme funding to work with arts and regeneration.

Ian Grutchfield
Ian Grutchfield is Brand and Commercial Strategy Manager for BBC Cymru Wales, responsible for extending key television across a range of multiple media and consumer products. Doctor Who is the most well known of the drama portfolio, plus its older sibling, the adult Torchwood, and its younger offshoot The Sarah Jane Adventures. This year BBC Cymru Wales has started production on reviving another iconic part of UK cultural heritage – Upstairs Downstairs.

Brian Morgan
Brian Morgan is currently Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Wales in Cardiff (UWIC) and Director of its Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre (CLEC). Before returning to academia at Cardiff Business School in 1997 Brian was Chief Economist at the WDA. Before this he worked as a senior policy adviser in Whitehall (the DTI) and he has worked extensively in Europe (for the OECD and EU). He is also Director of a number of businesses in Wales, including:
• Chairman, Spadel UK Ltd a subsidiary of the Spa multinational group (producer of the best selling natural mineral water Brecon Carreg)
• Chairman, Windpower Wales (developing a new 100 MW windfarm, producing renewable energy to combat climate change and grounded in the local community)
• Director, SevernLink Ferries (providing new fast ferry services between Ifracombe, Swansea, Minehead and Cardiff)
• Founder, Welsh Whisky Company Limited (distiller of Penderyn Single Malt – the first single malt whisky to be produced in Wales)

Ed Newsome
Ed Newsome studied at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. He began his career in arts marketing in the commercial sector at Sunderland Empire Theatre. In 2004 he moved to Wales to join Welsh National Opera as Marketing Officer (later Marketing Manager – Campaigns) which perfectly combined his love of opera, audience development and Wales. Ed Newsome is Head of Marketing at Welsh National Opera and is responsible for income generation, audience development and brand guardianship.

Roger Pride
Roger Pride is Director of Marketing with the Welsh Assembly Government. In this role he is responsible for all aspects of Wales Marketing Strategy in the fields of tourism, trade and investment and business development. He is also responsible for the professional development of all marketing staff throughout the Welsh Assembly Government. He advises the First Minister on the wider brand strategy for Wales, is a Director of Ryder Cup Wales 2010 Ltd, and sits on the Wales board of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He has jointly edited 2 major books on branding places as well as contributing to other branding texts.

This is a free event. To get a ticket click here.