Welsh National Opera appoints new chair

MEDWIN HUGHES will lead the board of Welsh National Opera, taking up the post in autumn when current chair YVETTE VAUGHAN JONES’ six-year term ends.

Hughes joined the WNO Board in July 2022 and was appointed senior independent director in January 2024.

He is a former vice chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and vice chancellor of the University of Wales.

Hughes has also served as the deputy chair of the Welsh Language Board and on multiple advisory committees of the Welsh Government and the Council of Europe concerning educational and cultural policy.

“It is a great privilege to be appointed WNO chair at such an exciting and transformational time for the company, and I’m grateful to my fellow trustees for their confidence in my leadership,” said Hughes.

ADELE THOMAS and SARAH CRABTREE, who joined WNO as co-general directors and CEOs in January 2025, said: “Medwin comes from the long tradition of the quiet radical, and his exceptional track record in leadership and transformation speaks for itself.

“He is passionate about the power of the arts to transform lives and the necessity of art, even and especially in times of crisis. We look forward to working with Medwin; his guidance will be invaluable as we embark on this exciting new chapter in WNO’s story.

“We are also deeply grateful to Yvette Vaughan Jones, who has been a dedicated chair during a challenging period for the company.”

PHIL GIBBY, south west area director at Arts Council England, which in 2022 handed WNO a 35% grant cut, said that Hughes’ leadership, working alongside the company’s “impressive new general directors,” will ensure that it “continues to go from strength to strength in the coming years”.

“We thank Yvette Vaughan Jones for her service as a collaborative and forward-thinking chair and look forward to working with both chairs through the transition period in support of a strong future for the company,” he added.