Entrepreneurship without borders: 11 global Welsh entrepreneurs you should know

While many know Wales for its love of rugby, beautiful landscape and as a nation of song, rarely do we celebrate our entrepreneurs and the incredible things they are doing around the world. On this Global Entrepreneurship Week we wanted to highlight 11 of the most inspirational global entrepreneurs, based at home or located around the world, who are raising the profile of Wales and raising the aspirations of the next generation. 

Tell us your Welsh entrepreneurial heroes!

Elinor Davies-Farn - Olew Hair - Based in Dubai

Aberystwyth born Elinor Davies-Farn started her company Olew Hair in London in 2018. After struggling to find a product suitable for her curly hair, Elinor invested £100 into her business and titled it after the Welsh word for oil - ‘Olew’. Driven by her will to succeed and with the ambition to become her own boss, Elinor quit her job in BMW Mini and started selling hair oils from her kitchen table. While the business has grown exponentially, selling all over the globe, the ingredients have remained the same and she's now based in Dubai.

From a £100 investment, to a Global brand >>

Connect with Elinor on via GlobalWelsh  >>

Alison and David Lea-Wilson - Halen Môn - Based in Anglesey

Halen Môn was founded in 1997 by husband and wife, Alison and David. After meeting at Bangor University, the couple worked together for 12 years running a fish and game enterprise before opening The Sea Zoo in 1983. Recognising the quality of the Anglesey seawater, due to the multiplication of picky seahorses, the couple turned to making sea salt. The rest is history, with Halen Mon being sold all around the world, used by top chefs and as a staple ingredient in well-known brands such as Green and Blacks chocolate. Be sure to check out their seasoning cookbook ‘Do Sea Salt’ too!

Discover why the best seasalt in the world comes from Wales >>

Come along to our Connect to London Event to meet the team at Halen Mon >>

Sean Craig - Villa Cosmiana - Based in Tuscany, Italy

Nestled among the hills of Tuscany is Monmouthshire-born entrepreneur, Sean Craig. After spending 30 years working in high-profile roles for companies including Capita, Learning Tree international and Groupe Demos , Sean decided to take the plunge and set up a wine business in the medieval city of Peccioli, near Pisa. Inspired by the want to restore both Villa Cosmiana and its vineyard to its former glory, Sean and his team have been working on its restoration since 2019, while in-keeping with the vision of its most famous 19th Century owner, Amerigo Antinori, Duke of Brindisi. Since the 2019 harvest Villa Cosmiana has five wines to try, three red and two white, so why not taste history in a bottle…

Connect with Sean >>

Featured in H+Ms August’s Issue of Living >>

David and Clare Hieatt - Howies/Hiut Jeans/The Do Lectures - Based in Cardigan

When ethical, South Wales born entrepreneurs, David and Clare Hieatt started Hiut Denim Co. they were not new to starting a business. The couple had started their entrepreneurial journey in London in 1995, when they founded Howies clothing, a globally renowned outdoor and activewear brand. 

After selling Howies to Timberland in 2011, the couple moved back to a farmhouse in Cardigan where they bought a local jeans factory to help reinvigorate the trade, after a factory closure in 2002 left 10% of the local population unemployed. This venture led to the birth of Hiut Denim Co., an ethical business with the local community at its heart and a focus on quality over quantity. The couple also run The DO Lectures, a network to inspire people to think creatively

In January 2012, the management team at Howies announced they had bought the company back and that it would continue to operate from Cardigan.

Learn more about the couple’s relocation back to Wales >>

Keith Griffiths - Aedas Architecture - Based in Hong Kong

Born in Merthyr Tydfil, Keith Griffiths went on to study architecture at St John’s College, University of Cambridge. After working under Fosters and Partners in Hong Kong, Griffiths founded Hackett and Griffiths in 1985. In 2002, Griffiths founded his current company Aedas, the world’s only local and global architecture design practice driven by the sharing of architectural knowledge, currently employing over 1,000 people across 11 Global offices. In 2009, he established the Griffiths-Roch Foundation which has acquired and restored historic Welsh buildings including Roch Castle and Twr y Felin hotel.

From Wales to Asia, follow Keith’s architectural journey >>

Connect with Keith via GlobalWelsh >>

Hannah and Sophie Pycroft - Spectrum Collections - Based in Barry 

Started from their garage in Barry, sisters Hannah and Sophie Pycroft took the beauty industry by storm when founding Spectrum in 2014. With few opportunities in Barry, the sisters decided to reinvent the make-up brush industry by creating vegan, eco and affordable brushes. Their big breakthrough came with the launch of their Glam Clam product launch and business took off from there. Spectrum is now a global brand and you can buy their products from big names like Amazon, Boots and Superdrug. Not forgetting their roots, Hannah and Sophie have kept their HQ in South Wales to give something back to the town that made them.

Business in Barry, how two women started a booming business in their garage >> 

Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes - Petrospot - Based in Adderbury, Oxfordshire

Abergavenny born Llewellyn, started his business after moving to New York while at his previous role as a journalist for Petroleum Argus. A traveller at heart, Llewellyn realised that working in the oil industry offered multiple opportunities to travel around the world. So in 2003 he founded Petrospot, a maritime publishing, training, and events company which introduced the idea of London International Shipping Week to the Maritime Sector. Fast forward to today, Petrospot has been instrumental to creating one of the largest shipping events in the world. 

Read Llewellyn's Wonderful Welsh Story >>

Connect with Llewellyn via GlobalWelsh >>

Rhian Parry - Workplace Worksafe - Based in Ruthin

Raised in Anglesey, farmers daughter Rhian Parry decided to start her PPE business in Ruthin after recognising a gap in the market. With Welsh businesses paying heightened prices from neighbouring English companies, Rhian decided to set up Workplace Worksafe to offer opportunities to the local community and support local businesses. Today, Workplace Worksafe has expanded their offering from selling PPE, to working with wind farms and configuring virtual training videos for the offshore wind sector. Rhian was named as one of the top 100 female entrepreneurs in 2021 and won the Chwarae Teg Womenspire Award in 2018.

Paving the way for female entrepreneurs >>

Get in touch with Rhian through Connect >>