Our Board

Craig Weeks is the Director of Operations at JCB Transmissions in Wrexham, overseeing 600 people and creating a culture to deliver excellence in the workplace and community.

Caroline is the Managing Director of Platts Group. She is also a Member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Small Businesses and a Member of the Advisory Panel for The Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.

Mel Whitley is People Partner at The Very Group.

Heather Cheetham is a Director of The Uncommon Practice, with nearly 20 years’ accounting experience working with SME and business owners. Heather was nominated for the Young Finance Director of the Year award by Finance Wales in 2023.

Claire is a Project Facilitator at Net World Sports, contributing to high-performance, fast-paced operations. An experienced entrepreneur, they founded, scaled, and successfully exited their first business, gaining deep expertise in growth, strategy, and delivery. Proudly dyslexic, they bring creative problem-solving, empathy, and determination to champion collaboration, economic growth, and sustainability across Wrexham.

Julian is an experienced Further Education and skills practitioner with over 30 years of supporting employers, learners and communities across North Wales. He has held senior roles in FE, led major funded programmes and built strong partnerships with local employers. As the owner of Gatewen Training Services and founder of the men’s mental-health charity Pwrpas, he has delivered impactful skills and wellbeing initiatives regionally, including the recent North East Wales Skills Academy project. He is a school governor and a member of HMP Berwyn’s Skill & Employment Committee, he is also a fluent Welsh speaker. 

Ben Spruce is the Chief Financial Officer at Kronospan Limited.  His finance career has spanned retail and corporate head office roles but his real passion is UK manufacturing and the positive difference successful businesses can have on communities.