About Us

What we’re doing for technology in Wales

Technology Connected is the leading network for technology in Wales.
For nearly 20 years, we have worked alongside our members to forge new business connections, raise their profiles and to create a powerful collective voice for the technology industry in Wales and beyond.
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About us

What We Do

We are the go-to organisation for news, views and insight for the Welsh technology industry.
Through our work we are:

Connecting

Enabling

Developing

Innovating

Influencing

Championing

We connect people, technologies and industries.

Our initiatives and events facilitate the introduction and adoption of emerging and enabling technologies across sectors

Through our Next Generation programme, we inspire and inform the next generation of tech talent

We bring together the best minds in technology and academia to collaborate and accelerate commercialisation of R&D

Engaging with stakeholders to invest, protect and support our industry

We promote the impact of Welsh technology to increase its presence on the global stage

Meet the Technology Connected Team

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Who we are

Our Team

Avril Lewis MBE

Anna Simmonds

Steph Stephens

Karina Lear

Avril Lewis MBE

Managing Director

Avril was appointed Managing Director of Technology Connected, formerly the ESTnet, in May 2012.

Her background is in the semiconductor industry, and she was awarded the MBE for services to the technology industry in Wales in 2018. Avril is an influential and energetic leader with highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, and thrives as a catalyst for change.

Anna Simmonds

Head of Engagement & Delivery

With over a decade of marketing experience, as well as four years in the blockchain space, Anna is passionate about technology of all kinds and driving connection. Her background includes both in-house and agency roles which has seen her working on a variety of projects in finance, law, apps, gaming, and more.

At Technology Connected, Anna’s role will help our members and the Welsh technology community as a whole to connect, collaborate, and thrive both locally and on the global stage.

Steph Stephens

Marketing & Communications Manager

Steph brings extensive marketing experise, having collaborated with companies and clients across diverse industries, including the dynamic tech sector. Her passion for technology fuels her excitement for the potential of the industry in Wales. Steph is dedicated to uniting and championing the technology community, utilising her marketing expertise to propel Technology Connected as a driving force in Wales’ tech landscape.

Karina Lear

Technology Community Coordinator

Karina has spent a substantial number of years running events for membership organisations within the charity sector. She will be using these skills to develop our membership community, processes, and events. Alongside this work, she will also be assisting throughout all of Technology Connected’s major projects and events, such as Wales Tech Week.

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Our Board

Our board is led by key figures from some of the world’s most impactful technology businesses and innovative Welsh firms.
They are also members of the Technology Leadership Council.

Avril Lewis

Christian Coates: Co-chair

Chris Meadows, Co-Chair

Nia Davies

Prof. Rob Rolley

Katy Chamberlain

Avril Lewis

Avril Lewis, Managing Director, Technology Connected

Avril was appointed Managing Director of Technology Connected, formerly the ESTnet, in May 2012.

Her background is in the semiconductor industry, and she was awarded the MBE for services to the technology industry in Wales in 2018. Avril is an influential and energetic leader with highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, and thrives as a catalyst for change.

Christian Coates: Co-chair

Christian Coates. Managing Director, Method4 Ltd

Christian has been Managing Director at Method4 since the company was established in 2005, overseeing several new technology adoptions and business practice innovations.

Christian is responsible for the strategic direction of the business, building collaborative opportunities and business development. The company is in the middle of an exciting growth phase which will see it grow to over 40 staff with a turnover in excess of £3.5m.

He is also a member of the advisory panel of the superfast broadband exploitation programme.  

Chris Meadows, Co-Chair

Communication Director, IQE plc, Co-chair

Chris’ career in electronics and semiconductors started at British Telecom Research Laboratories before joining a new joint venture between BT and US based DuPont in 1986.
Chris was part of the founding team at Epitaxial Products International Ltd (EPI) in Cardiff in 1988 which became IQE plc in 1999. A science and engineering graduate, Chris also holds an MBA and has held a number of senior management positions within the IQE Group.

Chris is also a Director of CSconnected Ltd, representing the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster that is rapidly evolving across South Wales and the West of England.

Nia Davies

Managing Director, Davlec Ltd

Nia took over as managing director of Welshpool-based agricultural electronics equipment Davlec Ltd in 2002. Since then, Nia has diversified the company’s portfolio to include high-end catering equipment, and healthcare electronics, as well as extending its range of automotive clients.

In 2014 the company acquired Leema Electro-Acoustics, one of the few remaining British-owned hi-fi companies. She is also a Director of Mitchell and Johnson Electronics, a new hi-fi company.

Prof. Rob Rolley

Chairs the Industrial Advisory board at Cardiff University.

Rob is an experienced senior director with a track record of programme delivery. Recently he completed a two-year full-time secondment role as The Head of Innovation at the UK Defence Solutions Centre in Farnborough, where he worked in partnership with the UK Government, major defence companies, Small Medium Enterprises (SME’s) and Academia to deliver new future export opportunities for the UK.

Rob chairs the Industrial Advisory board at Cardiff University and also a member of the University of South Wales industrial advisory board.

Katy Chamberlain

Chief Executive, Business In Focus

Katy is the Chief Executive Business in Focus, a social enterprise which supports businesses in turning their ambitions into reality.

Katy spent more than 20 years with international accountancy and advisory firm KPMG, leading teams delivering a variety of services to businesses in Wales. She is also the former Chief Executive of equality action organisation, Chwarae Teg.

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Technology Leadership Council

Launched in 2020, the Technology Leadership Council is as a strategic advisory body.

Dr. Cerian Jones

Dr Louise Jones

James Smith

Nicola McNeely

Prof. Pete Burnap

David Jones

Chris Hancock

Stephen Dukes

Dr. Cerian Jones

Founder, Entheos IP

After gaining a PhD in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) and lecturing in Computer Science for many years, Cerian took a career change and became a patent attorney, specialising in the protection of software-implemented inventions. As the owner of Entheos IP consultancy, she works with entrepreneurs and innovators from across Wales, the UK and the world to ring fence and defend their intellectual property. Areas of particular specialisation include FinTech and cyber security (she was a co-founder of the South Wales Cyber Security Cluster), and is one of few patent attorneys with in-depth technical and legal experience of blockchain, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency technologies.

Dr Louise Jones

Regional Manager for Wales, Innovate UK & Photonics Connected Council Chair

Dr Louise Jones joined the Innovate UK regional team as the Regional Manager for Wales In September 2023. Louise started her career as a KTP associate in a Welsh SME, putting the outputs from her KTP project towards her PhD at Bangor University. Louise then worked at a commercial research group working on projects funded by Innovate UK and Welsh Government which then led to her working with a Catalytic converter manufacturing company to help them set up a manufacturing plant. Following this she led on collaborative industrial research projects within Bangor and Wrexham Universities funded by Welsh Government or WEFO which started extending her connections in Wales to Welsh Government, Industry and other research groups across Wales.

Louise joined Innovate UK KTN in September 2013 and has had roles spanning Photonics, Additive Manufacturing and lastly Energy systems where she focused on challenge led work around net zero. Throughout her time at IUK KTN Louise had continued to be involved in Welsh activities and frequently engages with Welsh Government and the ecosystem within Wales. She sits of advisory panels for CCR, North Wales Growth Deal, CS-Connected SIPF and Photonics Connected using her knowledge and connections to offer support and guidance when needed. She also led on the Adoption and Diffusion pilot within North Wales working with her existing contacts and expertise to deliver workshops to help define the needs of the region.

James Smith

CEO & Founder, DevopsGroup

James Smith has over 20 years’ experience driving digital transformation and IT modernisation. DevOpsGroup, a next-gen technology company who make Cloud and DevOps adoption fast, secure and simple.

James is passionate about raising the bar for the Welsh economy by connecting people and technology to drive positive change. He is an active member of the Welsh technology community, and is a steering group member for Technocamps, an initiative computer workshops for young people in Wales. He is also an industrial advisor to the Institute of Coding for Wales.

Nicola McNeely

Partner, Head of Technology Sector, Harrison Clark Rickerbys Solicitors

Working with entrepreneurial and innovative people in Wales and across the UK, especially in advanced manufacturing and technology businesses, Nicola’s focus is on working closely with clients to solve their problems and really understand how their businesses work.

Nicola has worked on secondment to the Royal Mint at Llantrisant, focusing on new business and intellectual property, but also for clients in a range of sectors on software outsourcing agreements, blockchain solutions and EMI schemes. She is also a non-executive director role with Business in Focus, supporting Welsh businesses.

Nicola is also a founding partner of Blockchain Connected

Prof. Pete Burnap

Professor of Data Science & Cybersecurity, Cardiff University

Peter is director of Cardiff’s NCSC/EPSRC Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR). He also leads AI for cybersecurity research at Airbus DTO on a part-time secondment basis.

He is co-director of the WEFO-funded Data InnovationAccelerator (DIA) – a £3.75m investment in upskilling SMEs in south Wales to develop innovative AI-driven products and services. He sits on the UK Government AI Council, advising on the implementation of the industrial strategy in AI and the data economy.

David Jones

Digital Technology expert and advisor

David is a Digital Technology expert and advisor, currently working as a non-executive Director at Ofcom and also three Public Sector bodies in Wales: the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board; Welsh Revenue Authority and Qualifications Wales.

David has exited from two Cardiff-based technology start-ups, Travelink where he was Founder / CEO and TigerBay where we was Investor / Chairman.

Chris Hancock

Chief Technical Officer at Creo Medical

Chris is the founder of Creo Medical with over 20 years’ of experience in medical device development, including four years at Gyrus Group plc in his role as Senior Engineer.

Chris holds a personal Chair in the Medical Microwave Systems Research Group at Bangor University. Chris is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, a Chartered Physicist, Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, a Chartered Engineer and a Senior Member of the IEEE.

Chris is a named inventor and lead author on over 500 patents/patent applications and international journal publications

Stephen Dukes

COO at Confused.com

After a 20-year career, working at well-known financial services’ brands such as DFC Global Corp and Wonga, Steve brings his expertise to the role of COO at Confused.com. Skilled in delivering business transformation strategies, Steve will play a key part in driving change by overseeing the effective integration of operations and technology.