Former director of Vaughan Gething’s leadership campaign announced as British Council’s Country Director for Wales

Nation Cymru staff

The British Council has announced Mitch Theaker – a former Special Adviser to the former First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford and director of Vaughan Gething’s campaign when he first stood for the leadership of Welsh Labour – as the new Director for British Council Wales.

A south Wales native and Welsh speaker, Mitch has built a career spanning local government, national politics and international diplomacy. Most recently he served as Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales, where he focused on tackling violence against women and community cohesion.

Mr Theaker read politics at Swansea University and was elected as a Labour councillor in Swansea while still a student, being quickly promoted to the cabinet.

After a stint working as a student recruitment manager at Sheffield University and later for an international student recruitment company, he became the full-time director of Vaughan Gething’s leadership campaign for seven months in 2018. He then worked as a Labour Party coordinator for the People’s Vote group, which campaigned unsuccessfully for a second EU referendum.

In his Special Adviser role, he worked on a number of policy areas, such as International Relations, Arts, Culture and Tourism, and Social Justice, including navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following his role with the First Minister, Mitch served as the Welsh Government’s first diplomatic representative to India, acting for Wales on the global stage and establishing deep-rooted artistic, cultural and economic connections that continue to this day.

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. They support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

They do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language, working with people in over 150 countries and reaching over 700 million people.

Mitch takes up this key role at British Council Wales as it continues to grow its international programmes in education and the arts, creating opportunities for Welsh schools, universities, and cultural organisations to engage globally.

David Thompson, Director, Director UK & External Relations, British Council, says of Mitch’s appointment: “We are incredibly excited to welcome Mitch as the British Council’s new Country Director in Wales. At a pivotal moment for Wales’ international profile and as the Welsh government looks to update its international strategy, the experience that Mitch will bring to the role will prove invaluable.

With the British Council set to become the UK’s National Agency for Erasmus+, and with a whole host of exciting new opportunities for internationalising Wales in the pipeline, I look forward to working alongside Mitch and our sector and Welsh Government partners to make the years ahead a Welsh international success story.”

Speaking about his new role, Mitch said: “Joining the British Council is an absolute privilege.

“Over the years I’ve seen first-hand what they deliver for Wales and the UK overseas, and I’ve long thought how fantastic it would be to be a part of that mission.

“I look forward to building on the impressive work the team in Wales has already established, and to ensure our efforts to promote international ties go from strength to strength.”

Mitch’s appointment follows a rigorous recruitment process, which saw applications from across all areas of industry. He succeeds the current Director, Ruth Cocks, who moves to a new post within the organisation.

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