The president of the Culinary Association of Wales has been shortlisted for this year’s Welsh Veterans Awards in two categories.
Arwyn Watkins, OBE, is also group executive chairman with a strategic focus on Cambrian Training Company, Trailhead Fine Foods and Mid Wales Fayres, all based in Welshpool and Chartists 1770 at The Trewythen, a four star restaurant with rooms in Llanidloes.
He will contest the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, sponsored by Pinnacle Document Solutions Group and Leader of the Year Award, sponsored by Veteran Trees.
This year’s winners will be announced at an awards dinner to be held at the Village Hotel Cardiff on July 5.
A farmer’s son from Llanwrtyd Wells, Arwyn joined the Army as an apprentice chef in 1978 and has maintained his commitment to apprenticeship programmes ever since.
On leaving the Army in 1992, he joined the Merchant Navy, working for Stena Line and became a catering college lecturer in Kent before returning to Mid Wales to join Cambrian Training Company in 1998.
In 2002, he led a management buy-out of the company which has enjoyed considerable growth and success under his leadership. The company was named Apprenticeship Provider of the Year at the 2007 and 2012 Apprenticeship Awards Cymru.
Arwyn is a key figure in the work-based learning sector in Wales, having previously served as chairman and chief executive and currently as a board member of the National Training Federation for Wales.
In the New Year’s Honours List in 2018, he received an OBE for his services to education and training in Wales.
Passionate about developing chefs in Wales, he coached the Welsh Junior Culinary Team to a Culinary Olympics gold medal in 2004 and was appointed CAW president in 2015.
In 2018, he received the Worldchefs Presidents Medal for promoting the advancement and profile of the culinary arts and profession in Wales.
Late last year, Arwyn led a successful Team Wales bid to host the Worldchefs Congress and Expo 2026 at the International Convention Centre Wales, Newport. Wales. It will be the first time this global event has been held in the UK.
