At a meeting of Gwynedd Council today, Dafydd Gibbard was appointed as the Council's Chief Executive.

He will succeed Dilwyn Williams, who will retire in May.

Brought up in Pwllheli, Dafydd Gibbard attended Ysgol Cymerau and Glan y Môr in the town, he studied Planning and Environmental Management at Coleg Normal, Bangor and then qualified as a Chartered Surveyor.

He has worked in local government since 1995 starting his career with Isle of Anglesey Council before moving to Gwynedd Council in 2003.

He started his time with Gwynedd Council as Estates Manager and then Senior Property Manager, leading on schemes such as new school buildings and the authority's carbon reduction scheme. He then went on to be appointed Head of the Council's Housing and Property Department where he led the recent work to develop a new plan to respond to the county’s housing crisis.

On his appointment, he said: "As someone who has lived here all my life, it is a great privilege to be appointed as Gwynedd Council's new Chief Executive.

“The Council is undoubtedly in a strong position and much of that is testament to Dilwyn Williams' efforts as Chief Executive. My intention is to try to build on this work, ensuring that the culture of putting the people of Gwynedd at the heart of all the Council's work continues and intensifies.

“I know that the Council has a highly committed workforce and this has been highlighted more than ever over the last year. The extraordinary efforts of Council staff has ensured that our key services have continued to be available to the county's residents when they are most needed.

“There are now positive signs that the Covid-19 pandemic is stabilising and we hope to be able to move into a period of recovery where we can look forward to some more normality.

“The next few years will undoubtedly present us with many challenges as a Council. But I know that the innovative work that has been carried out to maintain services through the difficult times means that Gwynedd is well placed to move confidently into the next period of our history.”

Welcoming the decision of the full Council, Council Leader, Councillor Dyfrig Siencyn, said: “I am delighted that Dafydd Gibbard has been appointed as Gwynedd Council's new Chief Executive.

“Dafydd has already made an impact in his time with Gwynedd Council. He has led a range of key corporate projects including multi-million pound schemes to build new schools across the county. More recently he has played a key role in establishing a Housing Plan that will enable us to tackle the housing crisis and provide more homes for the people of Gwynedd.

"As councillors, we are convinced that Dafydd has the skills and vision to take over as Chief Executive and build on the work of Dilwyn Williams who will retire after seven years in the role and a lifetime of service to local government here in Gwynedd.

"We would like to thank Dilwyn for his tireless efforts to ensure the best for the people of Gwynedd and I know that Dafydd will continue this work when he takes up the post."

Dafydd Gibbard is married with two children and lives in the village of Llanrug. He is a keen football fan and has been coaching Llanrug boys and girls youth teams for many years.

He will take up his role as Gwynedd Council's Chief Executive on 10 May.