‘May you live in interesting times’
‘May you live in interesting times’
Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.
The phrase “may you live in interesting times” is meant as an insult or a curse. I, on the other hand, take it as a compliment — who wants to live in boring times! For me, the last year has been an interesting time, and it’s been awesome.
I started my BID career in January 2020, and in January 2025 I moved into the “big chair” and took over the management of Swansea BID when our CEO of 16 years, Russell Greenslade, left for pastures new as the Welsh Director of the CBI. It’s a tough act to follow.
The first thing I had to do was recruit someone to essentially replace me and take on the jobs I wouldn’t have time to do anymore. During the summer of 2024, we provided a three-month work-experience placement to a young man who was completing a master’s degree.
He’d proven himself to be excellent and was exactly what I was looking for. So, a quick interview was held, and he started soon afterwards. I have to admit, I was very lucky here; the right person was available at the right time, and without Jacob, the changing of the guard would have been so much harder.
It’s not the first time Swansea BID has recruited this way. To my knowledge, at least three of our staff over the last 20 years have come to us via Swansea University’s placement programmes. It’s something that is close to my heart. In 2004, I started work with Gower College Swansea (Swansea College then) as an Employer Liaison Officer on the New Deal 25+ programme.
I worked for the college in similar roles for ten years, before leaving to go to the CBSA in Llanelli to do Employer Liaison for the highly successful Symud Ymlaen/Moving Forward programme. I was there for four years before the call of commercial radio dragged me out of the sector.
During that time, I must have helped hundreds, maybe more, people find work in a variety of sectors — more or less always through the same method: what I called the “long interview”, essentially a work-experience placement that led to a job. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t, but it always gave both the candidate and the employer a chance before any commitment was made.
We’re about to do it again. In July 2026, Swansea BID goes to the ballot, and it’s a very busy time. Jacob and I will need a hand, so I am already in conversation with Swansea University about bringing in someone to help with that process. If they do well, they will be considered for any roles we have in the new term.
I always impose a caveat, though. The student has to get something from it other than “work experience”.
For example, the time with the BID has to be part of a module or project that contributes to their final mark, or they get paid by the university. It has to be a two-way street: they get something they can use to qualify, and I get an extra pair of hands. It seems a fair exchange, and at the end, if all has gone well, we talk about a job.
The last year has certainly been interesting. Taking on a new role and having to recruit at the same time was daunting, but I got the right person, and that’s made it so much easier.
Whilst I have your undivided attention, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have helped during this interesting year and have made it the blast it’s been. Special mention to the aforementioned Jacob, my board, and so many faces in the local authority. Finally, a big thank you to my fellow columnists, Carolyn and Kevin.
Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials
Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast
