menu_open Columnists

BusinessLive

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Welsh Government still to grasp the scale of the threat facing universities

Over the last twelve months this column has consistently highlighted the challenges facing tertiary education in Wales. As we all know by now,...

13.12.2025 8

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

What will be the real impact of £16bn of projects for Wales confirmed at the Investment Summit

This week’s Wales Investment Summit arrives with a striking headline namely more than £16bn of investment and 10,000 jobs linked to projects being...

06.12.2025 10

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

Business Editor Sion Barry gives his verdict on the Wales Investment Summit

It was more than a year in planning but like all the effort that goes into Christmas Day the Wales Investment Summit was over in a flash. Staged...

06.12.2025 8

BusinessLive

Sion Barrymedia Wales Business Editor

Opinion: Building more co-living spaces could help solve Bristol's housing crisis

Rocketing property prices and rents have made it difficult for Bristol’s key workers to find affordable accommodation in the city centre close to...

02.12.2025 5

BusinessLive

Robin Gray

Development Bank of Wales is failing to match the ambition of our entrepreneurs

Described by the First Minister as “the jewel in the crown of Welsh Government”, the Development Bank of Wales has spent the past week celebrating...

29.11.2025 5

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

Opinion: GMCA’s Greater Manchester Good Growth Fund to kick-start new office developments

Manchester is facing a shortage of prime commercial space in an era where an increasing level of occupier demand is focused on best-in-class offices....

25.11.2025 6

BusinessLive

Will Lewis

Will the Chancellor be able to reboot the UK economy in her Budget

When the Chancellor stands up to deliver the 2025 Budget, the central question will not be whether she can balance the books but whether she can...

22.11.2025 6

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

Chair of the Development Bank of Wales on its £1bn investment impact on the Welsh economy

Later this month the International Convention Centre Wales will host the biggest-ever business event in Wales. As we lead up to this major economic...

21.11.2025 6

BusinessLive

Sally Bridgeland

Wales has a big start-up business problem

Wales is facing an entrepreneurial crisis and almost no-one is talking about it. New data from the Office for National Statistics should be ringing...

18.11.2025 7

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

We need a Welsh Government that champions business and growing the economy

Next May Wales will go to the polls to decide who governs the nation for the next five years. For the Welsh Government, that means six months to prove...

08.11.2025 7

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

Our cars are idle most of the time so let's share them

Over the last one-hundred years the technical advancement not just in car technology, but in the way they are produced has changed dramatically. Up to...

05.11.2025 5

BusinessLive

Stuart Cole

Inflexion on backing the growth of Welsh firms Nodor and Huws Gray

Wales has a rich history in industrial production which has given way to a vibrant manufacturing base that endures today and contributes roughly...

04.11.2025 5

BusinessLive

Richard Wootten

Opinion: How can we make sure new towns like Manchester’s Victoria North thrive?

Last month, the government published 12 recommended locations for new towns across England, which included Victoria North, Manchester. Early phases of...

04.11.2025 5

BusinessLive

Patrick Clarke

What business can learn from Bruce Springsteen's seminal album Nebraska

Every so often, a film comes along that reminds us that the essence of creativity whether in art or in business comes not from scale or noise, but...

01.11.2025 7

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

What will Eluned Morgan's investment summit deliver

In around five weeks, the First Minister will host her much-vaunted international investment summit at the ICC Wales in Newport. Who is attending and...

31.10.2025 6

BusinessLive

Sion Barrymedia Wales Business Editor

VAT reform could help the Chancellor balance the books

As the Chancellor looks for ways to balance the books and stimulate growth in her budget next month, one policy lever that is once again under...

25.10.2025 10

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

Colleges in Wales are not just centres of learning but key drivers of economic growth

Further education (FE) colleges are increasingly recognised as strategic contributors to regional development, workforce productivity, and long-term...

22.10.2025 40

BusinessLive

Sharon James-Evans

The time for polite lobbying is over and we need a bold plan for Welsh universities

This week the body representing Welsh universities, and whose members are vice-chancellors, published its manifesto for the 2026 Senedd. As would be...

18.10.2025 10

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

Why the value of equity deals in Wales has fallen

Last week the British Business Bank published its latest Nations and Regions Tracker, offering a detailed snapshot of Wales’ financial landscape....

17.10.2025 10

BusinessLive

Bethan Bannister

Welsh firms falling behind on raising investment to grow

Each year the British Business Bank publishes its Nations and Regions Tracker, a comprehensive survey of how smaller firms across the UK are accessing...

11.10.2025 20

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

The new Welsh president of the Law Society

I am honoured to be the 181st president of the Law Society of England and Wales, and proud to be only the third to come from Wales. Supporting the...

10.10.2025 10

BusinessLive

Mark Evans

The northern Valleys needs its own development corporation to boost its economy

In December the Welsh Government will host an international investment summit at Newport’s International Convention Centre. There are projects in...

07.10.2025 10

BusinessLive

Chris Sutton

Should people in senior roles in Wales live here

A recent Senedd committee report on the proposed appointment of the new chair of Natural Resources Wales reignited a debate that has been quietly...

04.10.2025 10

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

Will the middle solve the riddle? How our mid-sized businesses can help drive Britain’s economic growth

When talking economic growth, it’s all too easy to focus on shiny start-ups and massive employers – but it’s Britain’s mid-sized companies...

01.10.2025 10

BusinessLive

Alistair Houghtonbusiness Live Editor

One of Wales' most respected business journalists Robert Llewellyn-Jones has died

One of the most respected and well-networked business journalists in Wales, Robert Llewellyn-Jones, has died aged 80. Born and raised in Merthyr,...

01.10.2025 20

BusinessLive

Sion Barrymedia Wales Business Editor

WH Smith will not be mourned on scale of Woolworths - but town centres will be more dreary for its disappearance

Farewell then, WH Smith, a company that has adorned our high streets for over a century – even though it never planned to. Originating as a modest...

01.10.2025 10

BusinessLive

Simon Hunt Www.cityam.com

Opinion: Growth, credibility and survival – What’s really at stake in November’s Budget

The run-up to any Budget inevitably brings with it a flurry of speculation and selective leaks. Often these are nothing more than flag-flying...

30.09.2025 10

BusinessLive

Roger Phillips

The UK remains one of the world's most innovative economies

Innovation is the cornerstone of economic competitiveness, underpinning productivity, creates high-value jobs, and drives prosperity. Yet the Global...

27.09.2025 10

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

Cardiff Capital Region's most important ingredient has been the trust created amongst its stakeholders

Two years ago, the Cardiff Capital Region’s (CCR) local authority leaders, chief executives, executive team and members of the Regional Economic...

25.09.2025 8

BusinessLive

Frank Holmes

The power of long-term thinking: What Liverpool can learn from Manchester's decades of change

Long-term strategies – they never sound like vote-winners, but a city will struggle to change without one. If – like me – you’re used to...

25.09.2025 10

BusinessLive

Alistair Houghtonbusiness Live Editor

Opinion: Better tech is the solution to the North West’s productivity challenge – and that’s not just AI

If there’s one thing everyone – politicians, business leaders, economists – seems to agree on it’s that the UK economy has a productivity...

23.09.2025 10

BusinessLive

Heather McCusker

Growth and city deals in Wales need greater focus on entrepreneurship

Earlier this week the Senedd’s Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee raised serious concerns about the performance of Wales’s city and...

20.09.2025 10

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

Opinion: Government’s target to deliver 300,000 affordable homes is a welcome step, but it’s only part of the story

The government’s ambition to deliver 300,000 social and affordable homes is clearly a hugely positive move. It's potentially transformative for...

16.09.2025 10

BusinessLive

Gary Haynes

Entrepreneurship thrives on clarity and focus but our universities have become masters of complexity

It's doubtful that many vice-chancellors in the UK have ever heard of Peter Drucker’s subliminal book Innovation and Entrepreneurship let alone...

13.09.2025 10

BusinessLive

Dylan Jones-Evans

Opinion: Upping the pace of AI adoption is critical to the North's economic growth

The term "AI" has become somewhat of a buzzword in recent years, with many primarily associating it with generative tools like ChatGPT, browser-based...

09.09.2025 10

BusinessLive

Liz Scott Mbe

Opinion: North West SMEs show the kind of resilience the UK economy needs

Britain’s economic outlook remains clouded by a complex mix of pressures — tariffs, global instability, bond market turbulence, and stubborn...

06.09.2025 10

BusinessLive

Helen Clayton

Opinion: The rise of a resilient sector – why food and drink in the North West has reason to be upbeat

The North West has a rich heritage when it comes to food and drink. Whether it’s a long history of food innovation – with companies like Carr’s...

06.09.2025 10

BusinessLive

Graham Ellis

Opinion: Powering the UK’s next clean-travel chapter

When Greater Manchester took the bold step to bring buses under local control, the decision was about more than transport. It was a commitment to...

06.09.2025 8

BusinessLive

Alistair Gordon