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06.12.2024


The National Library of Wales is delighted to announce the appointment of four distinguished individuals to its Board of Trustees. These appointments mark a significant step forward in strengthening the Library's leadership and ensuring its continued success in collecting, preserving and providing access to Wales' cultural heritage.

Starting their terms on 1 January 2025 are:

  • Heledd Bebb – Heledd is co-owner and Director of OB3 Research, a respected consultancy based in Wales, where she leads impactful research, evaluation and advisory services which inform and shape public policy development across diverse sectors such as education, health, culture and the economy.
  • Michael Gibbon K.C. – Michael is the head of a set of barristers’ chambers in London, and a bencher of Lincoln’s Inn. He has extensive litigation and advisory experience in the legal fields of commercial; company; charity; financial services; insolvency and restructuring; tax; and trusts.
  • Dr. Mohini Gupta – Mohini graduated from the University of Delhi with a BA (Hons) in English, and undertook an MA in Cultural Studies at SOAS University of London. She subsequently gained her DPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Oxford. She currently works as Co-Convenor for Education South Asia, but will take up post as Postdoctoral Fellow at the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University in January 2025.

Joining the Board on 1 May 2025 will be:

  • Prof. Andrew Prescott – Professor Andrew Prescott is a historian and digital humanities specialist at the University of Glasgow. He was formerly AHRC Theme Leader Fellow for Digital Transformations. He was also Librarian at Lampeter University from 2007- 2010. He has published widely on the history of archives and libraries, social history and digital humanities.

Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, Chief Executive of the National Library of Wales said:

“These appointments are an important step forward as we work on the Library's new strategic plan, that will guide our work for the years to come. Their experience and deep expertise will be a great asset, and I look forward to working with them.

Ashok Ahir, President of the National Library of Wales said:

“I am delighted to see this hugely talented new group of individuals joining the National Library's Board of Trustees.

Their varied skills and interests will be of great benefit to our discussions and decisions, as we shape the strategic focus of the Library's activities over the next five years.”

--ENDS--

** Mae'r datganiad yma hefyd ar gael yn y Gymraeg**

The National Library of Wales Media Contact

Rhodri ap Dyfrig, Head of Marketing and Audiences

rhodri.apdyfrig@llyfrgell.cymru / 07521761762


NOTES FOR EDITORS

About the National Library of Wales

The National Library of Wales is a library for Wales and the world. Located in Aberystwyth, it is the home of the story of Wales.

Opened in 1907, the Library is the centre of research into the culture and heritage of Wales and the Celtic nations.

The purpose of the Library is to make our culture and heritage accessible for everyone to learn, research and enjoy.

We are a legal deposit library, which means we are entitled to a copy of every print publication in Britain and Ireland, but our collections also include the following:

  • 7,000,000 feet of film
  • 250,000 hours of video
  • 7,000,000 books and newspapers
  • 40,000 manuscripts
  • 1,500,000 maps
  • 150,000 hours of sound
  • 950,000 photographs
  • 60,000 works of art
  • 1,900 cubic meters of archives

You will find further information along with a list of resources on our website: www.library.wales

Extended Biographies

Heledd Bebb

Heledd is co-owner and Director of OB3 Research, a respected consultancy based in Wales, where she leads impactful research, evaluation and advisory services, which inform and shape public policy development across diverse sectors such as education, health, culture and the economy.

Heledd is also a former Business and Management senior lecturer and led pioneering Welsh-medium higher education provision in the subject. She has served as a trustee for the National Eisteddfod of Wales and was a member of several government advisory boards as leisure and culture policy adviser at the Welsh Local Government Association.

She graduated from Aberystwyth University with a BA (Hons) in Welsh and an MSc (Econ) in Entrepreneurship.

Michael Gibbon K.C.

Michael is the head of a set of barristers’ chambers in London and a bencher of Lincoln’s Inn. His parents were from Glamorgan, and he also has family connections with West Wales and Mid Wales. His undergraduate studies were in Modern History, and he then took a masters degree in International Relations. Michael was a choral scholar while at university, and has a continuing interest in music, particularly singing. After a short period in finance, he trained as a barrister. He started practice in 1995 and was appointed QC (now KC) in 2011. He is particularly interested in the late medieval and early modern history of Mid Wales, about which he has published various articles. He has been a member of the Council of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion since 2016 and is a former President of the Montgomeryshire Society. He divides his time between central London and Mid Wales, where his wife shares responsibility for running her family’s farm.

Dr. Mohini Gupta

Mohini graduated from the University of Delhi with a BA (Hons) in English and undertook an MA in Cultural Studies at SOAS University of London. She subsequently gained her DPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Oxford. She currently works as Co-Convenor for Education South Asia, but will take up a post as Postdoctoral Fellow at the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University in January 2025. Mohini is also a member of the Management Board of the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women (New Delhi).

Mohini is an active and vocal supporter of Welsh language and culture on public platforms and has been a guest speaker at multiple schools and universities across Wales, and is a regular Welsh-language speaker on Indian politics and culture on BBC Radio Cymru and S4C.

Mohini has published numerous articles and reviews, and in 2023 co-edited The Hindu Bard: The Poetry of Dorothy Bonarjee and co-compiled Many Roads: Women’s Personal Stories of Courage and Displacement in Wales in 2024, both of which were launched at the National Library of Wales.

Mohini speaks English, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish and Welsh.

Professor Andrew Prescott

Professor Andrew Prescott is a historian and digital humanities specialist at the University of Glasgow. He was formerly AHRC Theme Leader Fellow for Digital Transformations. He was also Librarian at Lampeter University from 2007- 2010. He has published widely on the history of archives and libraries, social history and digital humanities.