Gareth Rhys Williams CB

Non-Executive Director

Gareth Rhys Williams CB is a member of the Wates Enterprise Board.

He was appointed in April 2024 as Chair of National Highways, which is responsible for the Strategic Road Network in England and which employs 7,000 staff, overseeing a spend of c£5.5bn pa, following eight years as the UK Government Chief Commercial Officer. In that role, he led the transformation of the Government Commercial Function, upskilling and integrating 6,000 professionals across government, improving the performance and resilience of the supply chain, and leading on a number of high-profile restructurings and governance issues. He saw through the passing of the Procurement Act 2023, bringing wide-ranging legislative reforms to the UK’s annual procurement spend of c£300Bn.

Before joining the Civil Service, Gareth was CEO of PHS Group, a leading UK-based provider of workplace services. He was previously CEO of Charter International, the FTSE-listed engineering group; CEO of Capital Safety Group Ltd; and CEO of Vitec Group plc, the London-listed global supplier of broadcast and photographic equipment and services.

Gareth also serves as Chair of Aspire Defence, one of the MOD’s largest PFIs, as a Non-Executive Director of Purple Sector Ltd, and is a Trustee of the Chartered Management Institute. He has served as a NED at Crown Commercial Service, as a Trustee of FFI, the international conservation charity, and as a member of the UK Financial Reporting Council’s advisory panel.