The Welsh Innovation Centre for Enterprise has appointed Llinos Neale as its new community manager as the business continues to grow its team.

Llinos, who worked as an operations manager at the charity Pedal Power before joining ICE in 2017 as a receptionist, will now manage the 700-strong community across its campus and online platform.

Patrick Valentino also joins the team as digital marketing assistant, a vital role as the business increases its online offering during Lockdown.

ICE CEO Jamie McGowan said: “When Llinos joined us as a receptionist three years ago, she was probably overqualified for the role, but her passion to be part of what we were doing on campus was apparent for all to see. It wasn’t long before she was improving our processes and procedures and setting best practice. From introducing new CRM systems to certifying our quality assurances, Llinos led on a number of important projects.

“So when she applied for the highly competitive community manager position, we knew Llinos had the potential to stand out; and she did with an insightful vision for the campus which we are excited to be working towards in the next twelve months.

“Llinos’ energy and enthusiasm are infectious and she will be tough to replace as the first point of contact at ICE. Now, as she moves into a more senior role, Llinos will take over day-to-day management of the 30,000 sq ft ICE Campus as well as grow our external partnerships and develop our business support programmes.”

Jamie said: “Patrick not only brings with him great technical skill in digital marketing, but also an important understanding about how to support a community of business owners. He really impressed us with his desire to be part of the ICE community, which he first learned about from a marketing book written by one of our members. Patrick’s already settled well into the community helping run our online events and supporting Rachel, our Digital Marketing Manager, with the wider strategy for the platform.”

Welsh ICE is one of five regional enterprise hubs across Wales, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. The hubs will see more than £4m invested to provide supportive spaces and mentoring for new and growing businesses, with the ICE Campus supporting the South East Wales Valleys region.