Rt Hon Humphrey Vaughan Gething is a former Welsh Labour Co-op politician who served as First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour in 2024, making him the first black leader of any European Country.
He was also the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Cardiff South and Penarth between 2011 and 2026.
He is currently the Non-Executive Director at N3XUS and Strategic Consultant with over a decade of experience in government leadership.
Rt Hon Humphrey Vaughan Gething was born in Zambia to a Zambian mother and Welsh father. He moved to Britain as a child and studied Law and trained as a solicitor, specialising in employment law.
He joined the Labour Party when he was just 17 years old and contested Mid and West Wales for Labour in the inaugural elections to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999. He was elected to the Senedd at the 2011 National Assembly for Wales election, and was re-elected in 2016, subsequently appointed Minister for Health and Social Services. He served as Minister for Health during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
He subsequently served as Minister for the Economy from 2021 and 2024 and became First Minister of Wales in 2024.
Following the departure from the Senedd after the 2026 election, he joined the board of N3XUS as a Non-Executive Director. The appointment marked his return to the private sector, where he provides strategic advice on sustainability, digital infrastructure, AI governance, green finance, and international public-private partnerships.
He has demonstratable expertise in devolution across the UK, risk assessment, committee governance, and legal frameworks, leveraging prior roles in leading economic, health, and industrial initiatives with the Welsh Government.
In his previous leadership roles, he contributed to international trade promotion, developed national innovation strategy, and guided health and social care reforms. He is a skilled convener with a focus on strategic investment and policy development, including advanced manufacturing and energy sectors.
As a speaker, moderator, and presenter, he offers audiences a grounded, engaging, and thoughtful perspective shaped by senior political office, legal practice, and lived experience as a black public figure across the UK.
He offers:
– Keynote speeches for conferences, civic events, leadership forums, and annual gatherings
– Panel moderation, chaired conversations, and live audience Q&A sessions
– Presenter and host roles for public policy, business, legal, health, equality, and third-sector events
– Media commentary and interview-led formats on politics, public service, the UK industrial strategy and leadership
– Workshops and facilitated discussions
– Leadership in public life and decision-making under pressure
– The changing nature of devolution and the future of democratic institutions
– Public health leadership, including lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic
– Economic development, skills, fair work, and regional opportunity
– Equality, representation, and participation in civic life
– Law, employment rights, trade unions, and social partnership
– Resilience, scrutiny, and leading through challenge
– Addressed the 60th anniversary commemoration of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama.
– Delivered a keynote at the Fujifilm Healthcare Forum 2025, contributing to national discussion on healthcare innovation transformation and the future of health services in the UK.
– Chaired a panel discussion at the Fujifilm Healthcare Forum 2026 with life sciences entrepreneurs, genomics England, and practising NHS clinical leaders focussed on improving outcomes and patient experience.
– Chaired the life sciences panel at the Wales International Investment Summit in 2025 helping to showcase opportunities in life sciences, health innovation, research, investment, and high-value economic growth.
– Delivered a short lecture series at King’s College London 2026, organised with the King’s Centre for British Democracy. He reflected on his political journey, ministerial office, public service, and the realities of leadership in democratic life.
His former law career coupled with his ministerial experience meant Vaughan could speak with authority and conviction on a wide range of issues but was also capable of tailoring his messages and his language to make sure they registered with the audience he was speaking to whether that was colleagues from across political parties in Wales, Trade Unions , senior Clinical staff or patients and carers. He has the ability to be both insightful and relevant to audiences that were multi disciplinary and diverse. I think Vaughan would be perfect for a new role in speaking engagements of whatever kind. He is both warm and sincere and also knowledgeable and influential in his style and delivery.
Alan Brace OBE
Vaughan is the consummate professional. A capability that is plainly a product of his background. A career in law, followed by ministerial office and ultimately the highest office in Welsh Government, has given him a uniquely broad register: the discipline of building an argument, a sharp instinct for what an audience actually cares about, and the composure that comes from years of speaking on the record when the stakes are high. He is equally at home explaining complex commercial matters, crafting that message into a story people will remember.
Andrew Evans, Senior Director, KLA
Vaughan Gething is an engaging speaker and a wise voice of counsel for leaders across the economy. His time as Economy Minister in Wales gave him deep, practical understanding of the real issues and opportunities facing business. In this role and as First Minister, he delivered substantial international investment to Wales, from the EU, USA and the Gulf, in sectors such as energy, technology and life sciences. These experiences put Vaughan at the forefront of real-world global affairs. His leadership of the Welsh NHS through the Covid pandemic gives him unmatched insight into both cutting-edge health policy and the realities of public service delivery under pressure. He understands crisis management at its most acute. With his long track record in devolved government, Vaughan is uniquely positioned to help leaders navigate the processes and implications of the devolution agenda now being pursued by the Andy Burnham government.
James Bevan, Director & Head of Political Insight, Portland
Vaughan combines a high-profile personal career history with the ability to convey his experience and how it matters, informing and energising his audience. We were extremely fortunate to host him for a lecture series at King’s College London during June 2026. It was a highlight of the year for us and the students and colleagues who attended. Having someone in the room who has actually taken part in the processes we study makes a real difference to the atmosphere. He was an engaging and inspiring speaker, matching his own personal, political and administrative perspective with an impressive grasp of the underlying issues and detail. All his lectures were carefully prepared but spontaneously and authentically delivered. Their stimulating quality was demonstrated by the diverse questions he prompted from the audience, to which he provided thoughtful and insightful responses. Vaughan gave three lectures under the general heading of ‘Why on earth did I do that?’ The first reflected on his journey into politics, the second focused on the day-
to-day realities of working in government, and Vaughan’s responsibilities in his position as a minister. The third lecture dealt specifically with his time as Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each worked well as a stand-alone talk, providing an insight to the challenges of political and public life and the human element to it; and they also combined into a rewarding, well-rounded, and well-paced series. The audience was principally made up of postgraduate students and academics at the Department of Political Economy at King’s. The talks worked well for both groups, and would also be approachable to less specialist attendees with an interest in politics and public policy. They were well-attended, producing enthusiastic responses from those present, and positive subsequent feedback. We plan to engage him for an enlarged series in the coming academic year. We would most strongly recommend him as a public speaker.
Prof Andrew Blick; Prof Christel Koop. Co-Directors, King’s Centre for British Democracy, Department of Political Economy
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