Departures of note

Sir Roger Jones was born in 1943 in Corwen, north Wales, into a Welsh-speaking household, and was educated at Bala Boys' Grammar School and the Welsh School of Pharmacy in Cardiff. He began his career with the Wellcome Foundation, holding senior roles across Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe before leaving in 1982 to found Penn Pharmaceuticals, a contract development company that relocated to Tredegar and became one of the leading international firms in its field before being sold in a management buyout in 1999.

A passionate advocate for Wales and the Welsh language, Jones promoted the country as an investment destination throughout his business career. He was appointed chairman of the Welsh Development Agency in 2002, serving until the agency was formally disbanded in 2006, and also chaired the Broadcasting Council for Wales while representing Welsh interests on the governing board of the BBC, in addition to serving on the board of the Welsh-language channel S4C.

He chaired training organisations Gwent TEC and TEC Southeast Wales, championing opportunities for young people, and was a generous philanthropist supporting causes including the cancer charity Maggie's. He was knighted in 2005 for services to business and training in Wales, and was a founding fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.