Wales creates digital advisory board

The board of eight people from the public and private sector will advise ministers on subjects including infrastructure, skills, competitiveness, public service delivery and digital inclusion. It has been set up for an initial 12 months and will meet on a quarterly basis, with its inaugural meeting taking place on 3 November 2010. The board's creation comes after a recommendation by Professor Ian Hargreaves in his 2009 review of the creative industries. The government is set to publish its framework policy document, Delivering a Digital Wales , later this month. Of the board's creation, Lesley Griffiths, deputy minister for science, innovation and skills said: "This will ensure the board can provide ministers with the highest possible level of expert advice on a complex, cross-cutting subject area that is constantly evolving. "I am delighted they have agreed to serve on the board and take time from their busy schedules to support the Welsh Assembly Government to ensure Wales can capitalise on the opportunities of the digital age." Simon Gibson, chief executive of Wesley Clover, a venture fund specialising in seeding technology companies, will chair the board. Its other members are: Dr Sangeet Bhullar, founder of non-profit organisation Wise Kids; Andrew Green, chief executive of the National Library of Wales; Professor Gareth Hughes, chief executive of the European Regional Information Society Association; David Hylands, chief information systems officer for Wrexham Council; Huw Jones, deputy chair of the Wales Employment and Skills Board; Ron Jones, chair of the Creative Industries Panel and executive chairman of Tinopolis; and Jean-Francois Schmid, director of research and technology at BT Innovate and Design.