Board & staff

Ewan Jones is Chair of the Design Commission for Wales (DCFW Limited) and a co-chair of its Design Review Panel. Born in Newport and raised in Porthcawl, Ewan is Managing Principal at 10 Design overseeing the firm’s strategic direction and operations across the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, from the London Office.

With over 30 years of international experience at the intersection of architecture, engineering, and construction, Ewan is an exceptional designer and highly capable leader. Ewan has particular expertise in managing demanding projects, often at large scale, and with significant complexity in design, consents or client needs. Ewan’s creative approach to design and delivery spans diverse sectors, including national infrastructure, urban development, and placemaking.

Previously a Partner at Grimshaw, his built portfolio includes The St Botolph Building and Lloyds Bank’s headquarters in the City of London, teaching laboratories at Dulwich College and a successful planning appeal for 123 new homes in south-west London. He led Grimshaw’s work on the early stages of design for the Elizabeth Line and the development consent order for Sizewell C. Recent work includes HS2’s Colne Valley Viaduct and an over-station office scheme at Paddington. Alongside his role as Chair of the Design Commission for Wales, Ewan is also a member of the External Advisory Board of the Welsh School of Architecture.

Mike Biddulph is an urban designer working for Cardiff Council. He is a graduate of the urban design programme at Oxford Brookes University.

Mike began his career with Oxford City Council and then lectured in urban design at the Universities of both Liverpool and then Cardiff, where he founded and initially directed their MA Urban Design. He maintains a keen interest in how design is dealt with by the UK planning systems and has published extensively on urban design theory and principles, neighbourhood planning and design, master planning and design coding, various approaches to urban regeneration and renewal, as well as street and public realm design.

Mike was at the forefront of efforts to get home zones introduced into the UK. He has been a strong advocate of the Design Commission for Wales for many years having made contributions to Design Review, completed research and also led training programmes across Wales.

Cora is an architect with over 20 years’ international experience and a Divisional Director and Sector Lead for Stride Treglown Universities, a Sustainability Champion and member of the internal Research and Innovation and Consultancy Initiative steering group.

With her strong strategic design background, Cora has been responsible for high-value award-winning projects, including higher education, student accommodation and workplace schemes as design lead and client adviser. She has also led multidisciplinary teams. Previous award-winning multidisciplinary projects in the UK, Germany and Sweden also included masterplans, design codes, large mixed-use, residential and transport projects.

Cora’s focus is on user experience. She is passionate about collaborative stakeholder engagement and has contributed to ground-breaking social media-based research at the University of the West of England and the ‘Inhabitant’ publications.

Cora has demonstrated promoting good design as a thought-leader through chairing the Design Review Panel at the Design Commission for Wales and Design West for several years. She is also a RIBA Client Adviser, Design Council Expert, Board Trustee for the Architecture Centre Bristol, and member of the Higher Education Design Quality Forum research group. Cora was Finalist in the ‘Best Woman Architect’ category at the Women in Construction and Engineering European Awards 2019.

Joanna Rees is a Partner with law firm Blake Morgan in Cardiff. She specialises in construction and development schemes and heads the firm’s cross-discipline Infrastructure team. She has considerable experience in large-scale public and private development work, regeneration schemes and infrastructure projects.

Originally from Porthcawl, Jo graduated from Bristol University and worked in the City before returning to Wales. Her clients recognise her as a “trusted advisor” who is unafraid to challenge complex issues and find acceptable pragmatic resolutions within governance requirements. She understands the strict requirements of accountability, transparency, and value for money that public expenditure requires.

Jo’s career to date has featured several key transport systems which are a testament to the regenerative power of infrastructure – such as Croydon Tramlink, Docklands Light Railway, Jubilee Line, Transport for Wales Core Valley Lines together with major road schemes.

Jo has been involved in several key regeneration schemes in South Wales including the inner-city development of Swansea and Porth Teigr and Loudon Square in Cardiff. She also has valuable experience working on renewable energy schemes such as wind, solar, tidal and anaerobic digestion.

Jo is also a trustee of Wales Millennium Centre, a Cardiff Business Council member and is a Welsh speaker.

Jon is a registered Architect and a certified Passive House designer. He is also on the RIBA Conservation register.

A graduate of the University of Plymouth, Jon has developed a design focused architectural portfolio. Having worked on or led teams working on a variety of different projects valued up to £180 million, Jon has worked for a number of award-winning practices around the South-West of England and South Wales.

As an experienced Architect who specialises in conservation, Jon has designed and delivered buildings within conservation areas and converted grade II listed buildings for residential and the education sector. He has formal education in conservation architecture and has experience of working with conservation officers demonstrating good working and background knowledge of key aspects of conservation practice, principles and philosophy.

Jon is passionate about sustainable design. Driven by the need to act on the climate emergencies he founded Jon James Studio Architecture, with sustainability as the backbone of the studio. He firmly believes that sustainable design requires consideration at the start of any project as decisions made not only have an impact on the construction process but influence the whole life of the building.

Jon works with the Welsh School of Architecture as a consultant and examiner for final year graduates. He has collaborated with the Low Carbon Research Institute including working on the European education research paper and speaking at their annual conference. Jon has also spoken at a number of other national conferences including a national BIM conference and the Education Estates conferences.

Simon is a Chartered Engineer who has led major infrastructure initiatives in the private and public sectors and is currently Chief Executive of the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE).

Based in Cardiff, Simon was previously Director of Economic Infrastructure at Welsh Government, where he led on transport and telecommunications. His 8 years in the civil service followed 20 years working for Atkins, the international engineering consultancy.

The buildings and infrastructure he contributed to have served a particular engineering goal. In the past, design quality has often been a late bolt-on, on the occasions when it has even been considered. To address this failing Simon started working with DCFW colleagues in the middle of the last decade.

Barny is a Director at Turley in Cardiff, working on Sustainability and Energy issues. He has over 20 years’ experience working in the built environment and has a breadth of experience encompassing new development of all scales, city strategies, technical advisory work on investments.

His passion is for understanding and communicating how the net zero transition can be successful from all perspectives. His work has been in the UK and all over the world and he has managed profit and loss units, bringing an appreciation of the need for good stewardship and ambition. He is also an advisor to a tech start-up, MapMortar, using AI to help decarbonise building portfolios.

Simon is an expert in infrastructure master planning, planning, placemaking, and regeneration. As a Chartered Town Planner and Environmentalist (with 30 years experience in major infrastructure site design, consenting and assessments), Simon has developed trusted relationships with clients and stakeholders, fostering connected thinking and long-term workflows.

His proficiency in providing resilient, deliverable and sustainable solutions, giving expert advice, and developing innovative recommendations, ensures he can direct complex projects to deliver successful commercial and timely outcomes. Simon has worked throughout his career in private sector interdisciplinary consultancy. This is on some of the UK’s major infrastructure developments, encompassing multi-billion-pound road, rail, energy, water, ports and urban regeneration projects.

Born in Bristol he has lived in Cardiff/Penarth for over 35 years. Simon is a past Chair of RTPI Wales and obtained a Part-Time Doctorate in Geography and Planning at Cardiff University in 2023, with an emphasis on place-based leadership for net zero in cities. He is a co-chair of Design Review Panel and has served as a panel member for 15 years.

With expertise in policy and public affairs within the sport sector, Zaynub is committed to ensuring that the built environment promotes active lifestyles, encourages movement and remains accessible to all.

Zaynub believes that well-designed spaces should integrate active travel and provide high-quality sport and play facilities, both indoors and outdoors, so that everyone has the opportunity to lead a healthy, active life.

Previously a journalist, Zaynub investigated the consequences of inadequate urban planning through her in-depth report on the inaccessibility of social housing for people with disabilities. This first-hand exposure to the challenges faced by many due to poor design further fuelled her commitment to shaping more inclusive spaces.

An alumna of the Future Generations Leadership Academy, Zaynub is deeply passionate about sustainable development, considering the long-term impact of our actions and protecting the planet for both current and future generations.

Carole-Anne was previously Director of Cardiff Bay Arts Trust, a Trustee of Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales, former consultant to the Scottish Government and a Trustee of the Architectural Heritage Fund. She is founding Chair of Gregynog Trust, the charity that owns the Grade II* Listed Gregynog Hall and Estate in mid-Wales.

As the Commission’s founding chief executive, she established an agile, co-production business model at DCFW, integrating the expertise of independent, multidisciplinary, private sector professionals with that of the core staff team. An humanities graduate, she is also an alumna of CSCLeaders Commonwealth International Study Conference, of Harvard Kennedy School Executive Programme and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

An urban designer and planner, Jen joined the Design Commission for Wales in 2014. With significant professional experience in the private sector, Jen studied City & Regional Planning and her MA in Urban Design at Cardiff University. Jen is a fully accredited member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI).

Jen’s role at the Commission includes developing and promoting DCFW’s design services, training, events and engagement throughout Wales, preparing guidance and leading client support. In her previous roles, Jen led a diverse range of urban design, planning and regeneration projects for public, private and third sector clients. She has delivered design concepts, town centre strategies, environmental improvement schemes and planning applications as well as developing engagement and training programmes. Jen is a Commissioner of the South East Wales Transport Commission, chaired by Lord Burns.

Sue manages the Commission’s human and financial resources and joined the Commission in 2003. Responsible for financial controls, HR, Health & Safety, administration systems and team support, Sue also coordinates Design review services, case study and publication research and data management.

Sue’s strategic and operational background includes finance, human resources, contract management, policy development, employee welfare and well-being. Sue holds an MBA with Distinction alongside her MSc HRM with Merit and has a strong track record in government funding mechanisms, personnel management and the provision of contracted services. Sue is a member of CIPD.

Max joined the Design Commission for Wales as a Design Advisor in 2023. As a chartered town planner, Max has worked in the private and public sector in development management and planning policy.

Max previously worked for the Welsh Government developing national planning policy and guidance on design, sustainable buildings, transport and renewable energy. He was heavily involved in putting placemaking at the heart of Planning Policy Wales and worked with the Design Commission to develop the Placemaking Charter.

Most recently, Max worked at Cardiff Council project managing the design and planning of housing developments. In this role, he championed good design with a focus on the built form, public spaces and people living there.