Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

Two ex-Plaid Cymru chief executives ‘heading for Senedd’

07 Jun 2025 3 minute read
Anna Brychan with Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts

Martin Shipton

Two former Plaid Cymru chief executives are very likely to become Senedd Members next year after winning pole positions in their party’s candidate lists for next year’s election.

Anna Brychan will head Plaid’s closed list in Caerdydd Penarth, which covers the two Westminster seats of Cardiff West and Cardiff South and Penarth, while Dafydd Trystan will be top of the party’s closed list in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf, covering Cardiff North and Cardiff East.

Under the Senedd’s new electoral system, which goes alongside the increase in the number of MSs from 60 to 96, the electorate will vote not for individuals, but for a list of party candidates. Six MSs will be elected in each of 16 “super-constituencies” across Wales on the basis of proportional representation. Party members choose the order in which their candidates get elected.

Having won the coveted number one slots in their respective party lists, it would be a major shock if Ms Brychan and Dr Trystan failed to get elected.

Headteachers union

As well as being a former Plaid director of communications and chief executive, Ms Brychan led the headteachers’ union, NAHT Cymru, for 10 years, was the Wales director for a global education charity, and is now assistant dean at the Athrofa Centre for Education at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. In that role she leads on developing partnerships with schools, colleges and others to ensure that learners have the best possible opportunity to access lifelong education in their communities.

Daughter of the renowned historian John Davies, whose book Hanes Cymru (A History of Wales) is regarded as a classic, Ms Brychan said: ‘It’s a real privilege to have been selected to lead a group of very talented candidates in the new Caerdydd Penarth constituency.

“Recent polling suggests that Plaid Cymru may well be in a position to lead a Government from May next year – a huge opportunity and an enormous responsibility too, and one which I take very seriously. I am looking forward to speaking to people in communities across the area over coming months, sharing some exciting ideas and listening to their hopes and aspirations for Caerdydd Penarth, and for Wales more broadly.”

Number two on the Caerdydd Penarth list is Kiera Marshall, who was runner-up to Labour in Cardiff West at last year’s general election. Third on the list is Leticia Gonzalez, who has previously stood as a Plaid candidate for Cardiff council.

Politics lecturer 

Dafydd Trystan, who before becoming Plaid’s chief executive was a politics lecturer and psephologist at Aberystwyth University’s Institute Of Welsh Politics, said: “I’m delighted to have been selected by Plaid Cymru members in the new seat of Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf.

“We have a great team of candidates for the Senedd elections here, and I’m looking forward to discussing Plaid’s plans on affordable housing, tackling child poverty, jobs, the environment and transport with electors across Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf.”

Dr Trystan has been both chief executive and national chair of Plaid Cymru, and is currently registrar and senior academic manager at Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. He also chairs the Wales Active Travel Board.

Second on the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf closed list is Zaynub Akbar, an elite athlete and politics graduate, and third is party activist Nick Carter.


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

8 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
2 days ago

Ms Brychan, I had the pleasure of spending two days in the company of your father on an episode of the TV series ‘History Hunters’, perhaps you could encourage the TV company to repeat it…I wish you all the success in your endeavour…

Last edited 2 days ago by Mab Meirion
hdavies15
hdavies15
2 days ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

Stop being nice, mun, it’s not good for your aggression levels ! Good pedigree on that young lady but she may have integrated too well with the Cardiff cliques who occupy the high moral ground and know all that’s best for the rest of us

Havard H
Havard H
1 day ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Have you changed party Huw?

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 day ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Once in a while, this is personal. She must put Cymru first of course but she has a deep enough grounding in Hanes Cymru to know right from wrong…

Ian
Ian
1 hour ago
Reply to  hdavies15

She’s a working mam with 3 teenage boys and lives in a nice terraced house in Grangetown; she’s a clique free-zone.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 day ago
Reply to  Mab Meirion

I’ve still got the cap with logo somewhere, the nice thing was that those from the north went south and visa versa…tearing across the Gower in two 4x4s was fun, Francis Donovan was the presenter…

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 days ago

Great to see those standing for the upcoming Senedd election for Plaid Cymru. We need more MSs of their calibre willing and able to fight our corner rather than throw in the towel as seen with Welsh Labour and Eluned Morgan. Out with the old in with the new. Time for new blood and a fresh approach
after 26 painful years of Welsh Labour government rule.

Garycymru
Garycymru
3 minutes ago

This is more like the type of candidate we need more of in Wales.

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.