Vicki Evans Appointed Director of Editorial Strategy at Business News
Business News Wales has appointed former Welsh Government Special Adviser Vicki Evans as its new Director of Editorial Strategy, as the independent media company prepares to launch a new dual media model designed to strengthen the relationship between business and government in Wales.
Vicki will take a senior strategic role in shaping the next generation of Business News Wales’ editorial proposition, working alongside its editorial and production teams to identify the major economic questions facing Wales and bring more industry experience and expertise into its coverage.
This shift represents a pivot from standard reporting to a structure that prioritizes depth. The new model will combine the established journalism, news and reach of Business News Wales with a deeper programme of industry engagement, bringing business leaders, experts and decision-makers closer to the issues being explored through its journalism.
Structured conversations with industry will provide greater depth and context to coverage while capturing the experience, evidence and practical intelligence that exists throughout the Welsh economy. The goal is to help businesses better understand the policy environment, economic priorities and decisions affecting them, while creating a stronger mechanism through which government and policymakers can understand the experiences, challenges and opportunities being identified by businesses on the ground.
Connecting Two Worlds
Her career spans government, politics, communications and public affairs at the highest levels in Wales. Most recently, Vicki served as Special Adviser to First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan, providing senior strategic advice on policy, stakeholder engagement and government decision-making.
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Before that, she was Special Adviser for Economy, Energy and Planning, working closely with ministers, businesses, local authorities and industry representatives across some of the most important economic issues facing Wales.
That combination of experience will now be brought into the strategic development of Business News Wales as the organisation builds the next generation of its media proposition. It is a rare opportunity to place a strategist with such direct exposure to government operations inside a commercial media outlet, potentially allowing for a more direct translation of policy discussions into the stories that affect local businesses.
Mark Powney, Managing Director of Business News Wales, said: “Business News Wales has spent more than a decade building relationships across the Welsh business community and providing an independent platform for the stories, people and organisations shaping our economy.”
“But the media environment is changing rapidly, and we believe the role of business media needs to evolve with it. Our next chapter will be about combining the reach and independence of a national business media platform with something much deeper, creating structured opportunities for industry expertise, experience and evidence to sit at the heart of our journalism.”
“We want Business News Wales to become an even more useful source of intelligence for the people making decisions across the Welsh economy. That means helping businesses better understand what is happening within government and the wider economy, while ensuring policymakers have greater visibility of the practical experiences, challenges and opportunities being identified by industry.”
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“Vicki understands both worlds exceptionally well. She understands how government operates and how policy is developed, but she also understands the importance of listening to the businesses and organisations dealing with the practical realities of those decisions.”
“Her role isn’t about running a traditional newsroom. It is about helping us develop a much broader editorial model built around insight, evidence, expertise and better-informed economic conversations.”
Focus on Intelligence, Not Volume
“One of the things I learned from working inside government is just how valuable good business intelligence can be. There is an enormous amount of expertise within Welsh businesses, universities, industry bodies and organisations, but that knowledge doesn’t always find its way into the wider conversation in a structured or useful way.”
“Equally, businesses don’t always have enough visibility or understanding of the policy discussions and economic priorities developing within government. I think independent media can play a much bigger role in connecting those two worlds.”
“Business News Wales already has the audience, relationships and credibility across Welsh business. What we are now building creates an opportunity to add another layer to that, deeper conversations, stronger evidence and journalism informed directly by people with experience of the issues we are covering.”
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“This isn’t about lobbying or taking political positions. Our independence is incredibly important. It is about listening, questioning and understanding, and making sure valuable expertise contributes to a better-informed conversation about the future of the Welsh economy.”
The appointment forms part of a wider transformation currently taking place at Business News Wales. Rather than responding to an increasingly crowded digital media environment by simply producing more content, the organisation is moving towards a model focused on depth, expertise, evidence and quality.
As part of the changes, Business News Wales founder and Managing Director Mark Powney will also take on day-to-day editorial responsibility for the Business News Wales homepage and its daily newsletter, working alongside the existing editorial and production team.
Further details of the new Business News Wales model, the people involved and how it will operate will be announced over the coming weeks.
