Efa Gruffudd Jones
Efa Gruffudd Jones is the Welsh Language Commissioner and chair of the International Association of Language Commissioners.
Throughout her career she has done jobs that have combined her interest in the arts and in the Welsh language. She worked for the Welsh Language Board and the Arts Council of Wales before being appointed Chief Executive of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, Wales' largest youth organisation, in 2004.
In 2016, she was appointed Chief Executive of the National Welsh Learning Centre, which is the body funded by the Welsh Government to provide strategic guidance to the field of learning Welsh for adults in Wales. Efa started as Welsh Language Commissioner in January 2023.
Osian Llywelyn
Osian Llywelyn is the Director responsible for setting a strategic direction for the Welsh Language Commissioner's regulatory work. The job includes setting and enforcing duties on organisations to use the Welsh language.
Originally from Pontypridd, he had his secondary education at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen before moving to study Law at Aberystwyth University.
Osian worked for the Welsh Language Board and the Welsh Language Commissioner where he was responsible for setting the first Welsh language standards for public bodies back in 2015. Osian has also worked as Head of Regulatory Policy for Qualifications Wales, the regulator of qualifications that are offered by recognised awarding bodies in Wales, before returning to work for the Welsh Language Commissioner.
Dylan Hughes
Dylan Hughes is a lawyer who joined the Welsh Government in 1999 from private practice. He became head of the Office of the Legislative Counsel (the Welsh Government’s legislative drafting office) in 2011, having previously completed secondments at the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association. As part of his role, Dylan leads the Counsel General for Wales’s programme on making Welsh law more accessible, including through the novel step of developing Codes of Welsh Law. Dylan has put great emphasis on the significance of Welsh law being bilingual and has responsibilities also within the Government for certain aspects of Welsh language policy. As well as being a native Welsh speaker, he speaks reasonable English and French and is trying to learn Portuguese.
Ffreuer Owen
Ffreuer Owen is an experienced Welsh language officer. Before taking up her current post, she worked for a decade investigating failures by local authorities to meet Welsh language standards at the Welsh Language Commissioner’s office.
She now puts that experience to use by ensuing that the Isle of Anglesey County Council meets its duties. Anglesey in northwest Wales is one of only two counties where over half the population speaks Welsh. As Policy and Welsh Language Manager, her main role is advising her colleagues of the requirements of the standards. She is also responsible for the council’s translation service and leads schemes to increase the organisation’s use of Welsh.
Prys Davies
Prys Davies is the Executive Director for Corporate Strategy and Development at Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Prior to joining NRW in 2019, he was a Senior Civil Servant in the Welsh Government, working on a range of policy areas in the Environment and Rural Affairs portfolio including decarbonisation and energy policy, water and flood policy and a number of legislative, organisational change and policy projects. He also undertook a range of other posts in the Welsh Government, including roles within the Finance Department, the Culture and Welsh Language Department (including a secondment to the then Welsh Language Board), and a period working as a Private Secretary to the First Minister.
Dona Lewis
Dona Lewis is the Chief Executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
Dona leads the Learn Welsh sector, which includes both face-to-face and virtual courses, tailored schemes for workplaces and innovative programmes for young people. In 2022–23, 16,905 learners followed the Centre’s courses, an increase of 11% on the previous year.
Originally from north-east Wales, Dona joined the National Centre in 2016 as Deputy Chief Executive, following a varied career with Early Years specialists, Mudiad Meithrin. Dona spent 16 years with Mudiad Meithrin in a variety of roles, including Director of Administration, Deputy Chief Executive and interim Chief Executive.
Dona has been a Council Member for Adult Education Wales since 2020 and is a member of the advisory panel to monitor and scrutinise Welsh Government plans to improve the provision of Welsh language care in health and social care services. Dona is also vice-chair of the Governing Body at her local primary school, near Cardiff.
Owain Williams
Owain was raised in a Welsh-speaking family in Cardiff and graduated in Welsh and Welsh History at Aberystwyth University. He spent most of his career working for BBC Radio Cymru in Cardiff as a researcher, programme producer and as the station's sub-editor. He joined the Bilingual Cardiff team, Cardiff Council's Welsh language team in 2016 as a translator initially, before combining that with policy officer duties in 2019. He led the roll-out of Cardiff Council's new street naming policy in 2019 to increase the number of Welsh and bilingual names on the streets of the capital and is now also leading on developing the Welsh language in Cardiff's proposed New Local Development Plan for the next decade.
Ben Screen
Ben Screen is the Welsh Language Lead for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, which is one of seven Welsh Health Boards part of NHS Wales. He is the Health Board's lead on matters relating to the Welsh language, including compliance with Welsh Language Standards, the Welsh Government's More Than Just Words 5 Year Plan, and promoting the language in the organisation in general. He is particularly interested in cultural change and behavioural change for the benefit of the Welsh language, and also holds a doctorate in machine translation. He studied for his degree and doctorate in Welsh at the School of Welsh, Cardiff University.
Gwyneth Ayres
Gwyneth Ayres is a Policy Manager at Carmarthenshire County Council since 2010, and has previously worked in the public sector health and social care partnership and in language planning. She is responsible for a range of policy areas across the Council including the Welsh language and the Welsh language stardards, equalities, tackling poverty and rural affairs, as well as ensuring implementation of the Well-being of Future Generations Act across the Council. She leads on monitoring and reporting on Council performance and develops the use of data across the Council’s work areas. She also manages the Public Services Board in Carmarthenshire. Carmarthenshire’s second Welsh Language Promotion Strategy was published in 2023. The County Council is required to publish the Strategy and it was produced in collaboration with Carmarthenshire County Language Forum partners.
Séamas Ó Concheanainn
Séamas Ó Concheanainn was appointed as An Coimisinéir Teanga by the President of Ireland, Mícheál D. Ó hUigínn, in December 2023. Prior to his appointment, Séamas held the position of Director of Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga, where he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Office's role in monitoring compliance by public bodies with the Official Languages Acts (2003, 2021). Before being appointed Director of Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga in 2020, he held various leadership roles in Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge at the University of Galway. Séamas has extensive experience across multiple sectors, including higher education, language planning, and community development.
Cheap Uachtarán na hÉireann, Mícheál D. Ó hUigínn, Séamas Ó Concheanainn ina Choimisinéir Teanga i mí na Nollag 2023. Sular ceapadh é, bhí Séamas ina Stiúrthóir ar Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga, áit a raibh sé freagrach as stiúradh a dhéanamh ar gach gné de ról na hOifige maidir le monatóireacht a dhéanamh ar chomhlíonadh Achtanna na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (2003, 2021) ag comhlachtaí poiblí. Sular ceapadh ina Stiúrthóir ar Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga é in 2020, bhí róil cheannaireachta éagsúla aige in Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe. Tá taithí fhairsing ag Séamas ar fud earnálacha éagsúla, lena n-áirítear ardoideachas, pleanáil teanga agus forbairt pobail.
Dr Fernand de Varennes
Dr Fernand de Varennes is Visiting Professor at the Université catholique de Lyon (France) and at the University of Sarajevo (Bosnia-Hercegovina). He held between August 2017 and November 2023 the mandate of United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues. He is a member of a number of advisory boards, including at the Club de Madrid and the European Centre on Minority Issues. He is renown as one of the world’s leading experts on the international human rights of minorities and the prevention of ethnic conflicts. He has also been awarded prizes from Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and Poland and has some 300 publications in more than 30 languages.
Raymond Théberge
Commissioner Théberge has a PhD in linguistics from McGill University, a master’s degree in applied linguistics from the University of Ottawa and a bachelor’s degree in history from the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface. His experience with official language minority communities is significant. He spent a large part of his career at the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface. He was president and vice-chancellor of the Université de Moncton, and as a senior public servant he served as assistant deputy minister at the Bureau de l’éducation française in Manitoba’s Department of Education, Citizenship and Youth and as executive director to the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada. He then became assistant deputy minister in Ontario’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.