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SIR TERRY 'IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR' FOR REGION ; Job creation is a key objective as billionaireprepares to bat for the bayEntrepreneur and Swansea... [South Wales Evening Post (Wales)](South Wales Evening Post (Wales) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) SIR TERRY 'IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR' FOR REGION ; Job creation is a key objective as billionaireprepares to bat for the bayEntrepreneur and Swansea University graduate Sir Terry Matthews's appointment as chairman of the Swansea Bay City Region is being lauded, writes RICHARD YOULE BUSINESS leaders have hailed the appointment of the man who brought the Ryder Cup and Nato summit to Wales as chairman of the Swansea Bay City Region. Entrepreneur Sir Terry Matthews was asked to take up the role by Gower AM and Business Minister Edwina Hart. The aims of the region, which encompasses Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, include attracting investment, job creation and fostering a more entrepreneurial culture. It is also felt the region's considerable size can encourage more joined-up thinking when it came to transport, housing and business support. Bruce Roberts, president of Swansea Bay Business Club, described the appointment of billionaire Swansea University graduate Sir Terry as a "breath of fresh air". He said: "I am absolutely delighted. For Sir Terry to come on board is wonderful news. "We look forward to working with the (region's) board to achieve our common aims." Mr Roberts said he felt "things had not happened as quickly as we would have liked" since the city bay region was set up last year, and reckoned the Cardiff City Region was "a mile ahead" by comparison. He said he expected Sir Terry, who replaces former Swansea Council leader David Phillips, to provide both vision and practical ideas. Asked what his priorities would be to improve the Swansea Bay City region, Mr Roberts replied better rail and road infrastructure - - with the promised rail electrification a cornerstone of this -- job creation, and realising the potential he felt this corner of the world had. He added: "The only way to eradicate poverty in this area in the long term is to provide jobs." Telecommunications mogul Sir Terry said: "I have a long association with the area, I went to university there and a huge number of my friends and business colleagues are also associated with the region. "So it is almost a natural affiliation and it will be an absolute pleasure for me to participate and use the experiences I have had over the past 40 odd years since I started my own businesses to help the area plan and grow. "Because I have been back and forth to the region so many times I know many of the people I am going to work with. There is a trust between us and I am absolutely sure that the determination of the people participating will be to improve the area economically." Sir Terry said software engineering was one facet of a rapidly- advancing global knowledge economy. "My particular subject is high-tech and the area of software," he said. "There is such a demand for software engineers around the world most people just can't recognise it. I don't care whether it is Silicon Valley, Canada or London, the need for really good software engineers is massive. "There is also a need for a software university. Could Swansea University go in that direction? We need to hold those talks, but I would be delighted if Swansea University was known worldwide for the best software graduates and the best computer science people. "And hopefully if they can get that recognition, and I think I can help, then many of them will stay." Graham Morgan, director of South Wales Chamber of Commerce, said he believed Sir Terry would bring "a new dimension" to the city region. "My initial reaction is (this is) a very positive step because he has international experience," he said. Mr Morgan said his priorities would be developing the renewable energy sector, expanding and promoting superfast broadband across West Wales, and targeting affluent European people to visit the area. He added that Swansea City's Premier League status and the recently-formed University of Wales Trinity Saint David, whose plans include a Pounds 100 million campus at SA1, could be catalysts to boost the region. Reaction to the appointment "It is excellent news that such an eminent business leader as Sir Terry Matthews has taken up the challenge to provide leadership and drive to the Swansea City Bay Region. We applaud Edwina Hart's vision in securing this appointment." Professor Richard B Davies, Vice-Chancellor Swansea University. "He will bring his vast wealth of business expertise, as well as his considerable networks, to support the long-term economic agenda for the region." Gower AM and Business Minister Edwina Hart. "Sir Terry's appointment as the new chairman of the Swansea Bay City Region board is a huge coup for the area. He's an enormously successful businessman with vast contacts around the world who's hugely passionate about Wales and the area where he went to university." Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart "Sir Terry being a hugely successful international business person will bring a vast wealth of private sector business expertise to the city region board coupled with clear leadership and direction." Russell Greenslade, pictured left, chairman of Swansea Bid (Business Improvement District). Life and times of Sir Terry... SIR Terry Matthews was born on June 9, 1943, in Newport. He grew up in Newbridge, Caerphilly before studying at Swansea University, where he received an honours degree in electronics in 1969. After an apprenticeship at BT, Sir Terry left Britain and joined MicroSystems International, a chip-making operation in Ottawa, Canada. He is the chairman of both Mitel, a global communications giant, and Wesley Clover, an investment management firm which is based in Canada. Sir Terry is the owner of the Brookstreet Hotel in Ottawa, but perhaps best known for owning the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, which hosted the Ryder Cup in 2010 and, earlier this month, a Nato summit. Sir Terry was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1994, and knighted in 2001. He now has a new role -- chairman of the Swansea Bay City Region. "I would be delighted if Swansea University was known worldwide for the best computer science people." - Sir Terry Matthews (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |