International technology CEO announced as new GlobalWelsh Founding Patron

A new member of Wales’ successful diaspora has joined GlobalWelsh as the latest high-profile investor to offer their support to the burgeoning community.

As part of the drive to recruit a total of 24 individuals and organisations to the initiative's founding investor lineup, founder Walter May has announced that entrepreneur and international investor Heath Davies is now on board as a Founding Patron.

GlobalWelsh is funded by private investors and its aim is to become a home for Wales’ global diaspora, offering opportunities to grow Wales’ reputation overseas and provide countless opportunities for its members to grow (through trade and investment opportunities; share (through mentoring/shadowing opportunities) and connect (via the GlobalWelsh website and social media platforms).

Growing the community 

Since launching, the community has now grown to include members from 28 countries including Thailand, Denmark, Norway, Singapore, Japan, US, Canda, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Sweden. The GlobalWelsh mission is to use the talents, skills and goodwill of Wales’ global community to enrich the lives of Welsh people with life-changing, impactful opportunities and connections between members.

Similar diaspora engagement initiatives have already been active in countries such as India, Portugal, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand for many years and are part of their Government's economic growth strategies.

New Founding Patron Heath Davies is a technology specialist with international experience as the previous CEO of Alterian PLC as well as Sword Group PLC. His career has afforded him the opportunity of working on Mainland Europe, North America, Australia, Vietnam, China, India and South Africa.

Heath is now CEO of ClearSwift - a company helping global organisations to protect critical information, via an unique adaptive data loss prevention technology. Born in Swansea and brought up in Neath, he remains an avid fan of rugby and joins the initiative with the hope of providing aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders with mentorship opportunities.

He will also work with GlobalWelsh as an advisor and a speaker at business/technology-related events.

Founder Walter May said:

“We’re delighted to have Heath on board as one of our Founding Patrons and his profile exemplifies the vast range of high-value experience and influence within our global diaspora. Cybersecurity, big data, and analytics are very hot topics and in demand at the moment - and with Cardiff as one of the UK’s top tech cities, the connections we could facilitate could be a wonderful opportunity for some of our members. The greatest gift we can give aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders is time - and Heath has been very generous, not only in terms of his investment but in terms of the time he is prepared to commit to our initiative and the people within it. The knowledge, expertise, and connections of our global diaspora will be invaluable in the coming months, as Wales negotiates her way through the Brexit process.”

Heath Davies added:

“I have known Walter for many years and his enthusiasm for connecting the extended Welsh community is laudable. I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to support the GlobalWelsh vision and be part of reconnecting with my own roots. I look forward to supporting the community and helping Welsh people compete and win on a global stage.”