Visit Pembrokeshire appoints Neil Kedward as new Chair

Visit Pembrokeshire appoints Neil Kedward as new Chair

At the Visit Pembrokeshire Tourism Summit & AGM which took place at Folly Farm Adventure Park & Zoo on Wednesday 2nd April, it was announced that Jane Rees Baynes, owner of Elm Grove Country House, was to step down as Chair. She is succeeded by Neil Kedward, Chief Executive of the Seren Collection with immediate effect.

Jane, who has served as Chair of Visit Pembrokeshire since November 2020 said “It has been an absolute privilege to be Chair of Visit Pembrokeshire - and I'm delighted to be handing over to Neil, who will be a fabulous Chair.”

Neil shared, “It’s a real honour to take on the role of Chair from Jane, and I hope to emulate the incredible leadership and dedication she has shown over so many years. Jane invited me onto the previous Pembrokeshire Tourism board back in 2018. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together—alongside our business and community partners and our outstanding CEO, Emma Thornton.

Since forming just four years ago, Visit Pembrokeshire has gone from strength to strength, championing our county with remarkable reach in both domestic and international markets. Jane has been instrumental in that success.

Pembrokeshire’s visitor economy is at an exciting crossroads. I’m passionate about driving sustainable growth and ensuring that our local businesses don’t just survive but thrive. Visit Pembrokeshire plays a key role in bringing the business community together, empowering our members, and enhancing the visitor experience. We also have a crucial role in promoting Pembrokeshire on an international stage to grow our visitor economy responsibly.

I see this Chair position as a baton to be passed on every two years, and I’ll work to ensure a smooth transition when the time comes. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to working with our team, members, and communities to turn our shared vision into reality.

If you’d like to get involved, please reach out to the Visit Pembrokeshire team—we’d love to hear from you.”

Emma Thornton, CEO of Visit Pembrokeshire adds “It has a been an absolute pleasure to work alongside Jane as our chair since Visit Pembrokeshire's launched in November 2020.

Jane's dedication and commitment to Pembrokeshire is second to none and she has been a tremendous support to both me and the Visit Pembrokeshire team during this first phase of our journey. She will be a hard act to follow but we know Neil, who has led the development of the hugely successful Seren group, alongside Routescape, is more than up to the challenge. He is also a passionate Ambassador for all things Pembrokeshire and will bring renewed energy to the role of Chair.”