New Council members at Aberystwyth University
Dr Tim Brain is appointed to the role of Treasurer whilst Miss Gwerfyl Pierce Jones and Dr Glyn Rowlands take up the posts of Vice-Presidents.
Welcoming the new members to their roles, Sir Emyr Jones Parry, Aberystwyth University’s President said: “I am delighted to welcome Tim, Gwerfyl and Glyn to these strategically important roles within the University’s Council. We look forward to working together with the Vice-Chancellor to build on Aberystwyth’s prestigious and accomplished history. Aberystwyth will continue to be a leader in world class teaching and learning whilst also offering a first class student experience.”
Dr Tim Brain OBE QPM BA PhD FRSA CCMI was Chief Constable of Gloucestershire from 2001 until 2010, retiring as the longest serving chief constable in the country. Before joining the Police he was a student at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, from 1972 to 1978 where he read history, obtaining a first class honours degree in 1975 and his PhD in 1983. Dr Brain was honoured as a Fellow of Aberystwyth University in 2007.
Dr Glyn Rowlands is also an alumnus of Aberystwyth University with a BSc and PhD in Chemistry. He developed a highly successful career in science and management, before becoming a business consultant advising numerous blue chip companies. Dr Rowlands was honoured as a Fellow of Aberystwyth University in 2000.
Miss Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, an alumna of Bangor University, started her career as a lecturer in the Welsh Department at St David's University College, Lampeter. Her contribution was recognised when she became a Fellow of Lampeter University in 2008. She subsequently held posts in arts administration with the Welsh Arts Council, the Academi and the Welsh Books Council. She served as Director and chief executive of the Welsh Books Council from 1987 until her retirement in 2009.
Professor April McMahon, Aberystwyth University’s Vice-Chancellor, echoing Sir Emyr Jones Parry’s comments said: “Effective governance is crucial to the health and development of a university. I am particularly pleased to see that Aberystwyth is able to attract Council members of such a high calibre and I look forward to working with them to further develop our Institution for the benefit of our students, staff and the local community.”
The appointments, which are made for a period of five years, come as the posts of Treasurer and a Vice-President are vacated by Richard Morgan and Winston Roddick QC, both of whom served for two terms.
Sir Emyr Jones Parry added: “I’d like to thank both Richard and Winston for their support and their services to the Council and Aberystwyth University; their considerable contribution is greatly appreciated.”
The new Vice-Presidents join Mrs Elizabeth France who was appointed to the role in 2007.
Photo above: Sir Emyr Jones Parry (President), Professor April McMahon (Vice-Chancellor) and Mrs Elizabeth France (Vice-President) welcome Dr Tim Brain (Treasurer), Dr Glyn Rowlands (Vice-President) and Miss Gwerfyl Pierce-Jones (Vice-President). Left to right: Dr Tim Brain, Dr Glyn Rowlands, Professor April McMahon, Sir Emyr Jones Parry, Miss Gwerfyl Pierce-Jones and Mrs Elizabeth France.
Council Biographies
President
Sir Emyr Jones Parry GCMG PhD FInstP
Sir Emyr Jones Parry was born Carmarthen and is a Welsh speaker. He is a graduate of Cardiff University and was awarded a PhD in Physics from Cambridge. He was a Career Diplomat from 1973-2007, where his last postings were as Ambassador to the United Nations New York, Permanent Representative to NATO, and Political Director of the Foreign Office. From 2007-2009 he chaired the All Wales Convention on the Future Powers of the National Assembly for Wales. He has experience of all levels of Government, the European Union, Constitutional Development in the UK, Science Policy, and International Relations.
Vice-Presidents
Mrs Elizabeth France CBE BSc Econ Hon DSc Hon DLitt
A graduate of UCW Aberystwyth where she read politics (1968-1971), Elizabeth France is Chair of the Office for Legal Complaints and a non-executive director of the Serious Organized Crime Agency. Until 1 July 2009 she was Chief Ombudsman and Chief Executive of the Ombudsman Service Ltd., which provides the Telecommunications Ombudsman Service (Otelo), the Energy Ombudsman Service and the Surveyors Ombudsman Service. Previously Elizabeth was a career Civil Servant. She resigned from the Civil Service to become the Data Protection Registrar in September 1994 becoming Information Commissioner in January 2001. She is Vice President of the University of Aberystwyth and a member of the General Assembly of the University of Manchester. Elizabeth has been awarded honorary doctorates by the Universities of De Montfort, Loughborough and Bradford and is a Fellow of Aberystwyth University. In June 2002 she was awarded a CBE, for services to data protection
Miss Gwerfyl Pierce Jones MA
Miss Pierce Jones was born in Holyhead, Anglesey and was educated at Holyhead Secondary School and the University of North Wales, Bangor.
She began her career as a lecturer in the Welsh Department at St David's University College, Lampeter. (She became a Fellow of the University of Wales Lampeter in 2008). She subsequently held posts in arts administration with the Welsh Arts Council, the Academi and the Welsh Books Council. She served as Director and chief executive of the Welsh Books Council from 1987 until her retirement in 2009.
She has served on numerous boards and committees, including the the British Council (Wales Committee), the National Library of Wales and the Welsh Language Board. She is the Chairman of the James Pantyfedwen Trust and chair of its Examining Committee. She is also Chair of the Literature Panel of the National Eisteddfod of Wales.
Dr Glyn Rowlands BSc PhD
Dr Rowlands’ undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Chemistry at Aberystwyth University were followed by a two year Fellowship at Iowa State University specialising in rare earth chemistry. He continued in a scientific career in both the UK and US Atomic Energy Authorities until the mid-eighties.
Having obtained the relevant qualifications, he then switched to marketing and management, eventually becoming MD of Huntingdon Reserach Centre (now known as Huntingdon Life Sciences). From there he moved on to Medelec, a subsidiary of Vickers, where he gained considerable international experience as MD with special responsibility for making and running International Acquisitions with subsidiaries in the USA, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
At about fifty years of age he made another career move becoming a self-employed consultant to the Venture Capital Industry working mainly for 3i and Thomson Clive. He tended to specialise in smaller/high tech. Companies with his role as Chairman/ shareholder. This led to the development of a company called Homecraft which he grew substantially and eventually sold on to Smith and Nephew.
Latterly, he acted as a consultant for a San-Diego based company specialising in up market thermometry and eventually orchestrated the successful sale of the business.
As a father of two and now a grandfather of seven children, he has enjoyed family and leisure opportunities as well as pursuing his career. A very keen sportsman as a young man, he still enjoys playing golf and bowls. Ten years ago, he was made a Fellow of the University of Aberystwyth, which was a great honour. In his retirement, he has served the University both as a member of Council and a number of committees.
Treasurer
Dr Timothy Brain QPM BA PhD FRSA
Dr Timothy Brain OBE QPM BA PhD FRSA CCMI was Chief Constable of Gloucestershire from 2001 until January 2010, retiring as the longest serving chief constable in the country. Before joining the Service he was a student at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, from 1972 to 1978 where he read history, obtaining a first class honours degree in 1975 and his PhD in 1983. He joined the Avon and Somerset Constabulary in 1978 under the graduate entry scheme, rising from constable to chief inspector prior to joining the Hampshire Constabulary on promotion to superintendent. He became Assistant Chief Constable in the West Midlands Police in 1994, where he was responsible for Community Affairs and later Operations. His specific responsibilities included the policing of Euro ’96, counter terrorist operations, and the extensive reorganisation of the force in 1997. In 1998 became Deputy Chief Constable of Gloucestershire.
He was a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) from 1994 until his retirement, and served as the Association’s national lead on finance, and prostitution and related vice matters. He played a leading part in framing the Government’s policy dealing with child prostitution in 1998 and creating ACPO’s own prostitution strategy in 2004. He led the nationalPentameter operations against trafficking for sexual exploitation in 2006 and 2008. He completed a major internal review of terrorism and allied matters for the association in December 2009. He was also Chair of the Chief Police Officers’ Staff Association (CPOSA). He led Gloucestershire’s response to the extensive flooding and water emergency of 2007.
A leading analyst of policing, he is a frequent speaker and broadcaster on a wide range of police subjects including police futures, strategic leadership, police finance, performance management, police history and anti-vice policing. He holds Visiting Professorships at London South Bank and Gloucestershire universities. He is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Cardiff University and an Honorary Fellow of Aberystwyth University. In 2008 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws at the University of Gloucestershire. He writes on a variety of police subjects, particularly finance, and contributes regularly to news and current affairs broadcasts. His book A History of Policing in England and Wales from 1974: a turbulent journey was published by Oxford University Press in March 2010.
His interests include history, music, rugby union and cricket. He is a member of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club’s executive board, chair of the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival, and a trustee of the Nature in Art Trust and Dean Close School, Cheltenham.
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