Cardiff's Next Chapter: A Capital City of Opportunity Guest Speaker - Cllr Chris Weaver, Leader of Cardiff Council

Councillor Chris Weaver is the Leader of Cardiff Council. Appointed in May 2026, he has made clear his focus on protecting frontline services, delivering major housing and education investment, and supporting long-term, inclusive economic growth across Cardiff.

Chris has represented the city’s Cathays ward since 2012 and served previously as the Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Modernisation and Performance from 2017 to 2026, during which time he led on key corporate functions including finance, procurement and organisational performance, and was recognised for his strong financial stewardship and strategic leadership. He also played a leading role in the establishment of the award-winning Cardiff Living Wage City Partnership and in Cardiff becoming the first UK capital city to achieve Living Wage City status in November 2019.

As Leader of the Council, Chris represents Cardiff on the Core Cities UK Cabinet and is a Deputy Chair of the Cardiff Capital Region / South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee. He is one of the Welsh Local Government Association’s Enterprise and Energy Spokespersons, having previously held a number of roles for the WLGA, including as Vice Chair of the WLGA Audit Committee, a non-executive director of Data Cymru and a member of the WLGA Digital Leadership Board. He also chairs the Cardiff Public Services Board and is a non-executive director of Millennium Stadium Plc.

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