We've scoured the accounts published by public bodies across Wales to put together a list of the highest paid public sector officials in the nation.
There are a massive 432,500 people working in the public sector here, according to Stats Wales, and just 14 of them earn more than £200k a year.
For our list, we looked at public bodies including health boards, councils, universities, the Welsh Government, BBC Wales and quangos to compile a list of the best-paid bureaucrats in the nation. If we've missed anyone out, please let us know in the comments.
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Salaries are just one part of the total bill for the executives at the top of the tree. With some officials still benefiting from a final salary pension scheme, a promotion can mean a huge jump in the value of their pension pot - the cost of which will be met by the taxpayer.
The person in Wales whose total remuneration this year was the largest in Wales was not the highest salaried executive but a longstanding official at Swansea Bay health board whose promotion to interim finance director meant that he will now be entitled a major increase in his pension and lump sum at retirement.
The board's annual accounts show that it has had to account for a £427,000 increase in the value of his pension pot over the year. It's now worth more than £1m. This won't be paid out all at once but, in the words of the accounts, "reflects the increase in 'cash-equivalent transfer value' effectively funded by the employer", which it has had to book on its accounts this year.
Final salary pension schemes, now closed in most of the private sector, are only one area in which the public sector is more generous. The Office for National Statistics calculated in 2019 that on average public sector earnings are 7% higher than private sector wages for equivalent jobs.
But life is very different for a trainee nurse or a school cleaner than the people at the top of the other end of the income scale. The ranks of the highest paid officials are dominated by health board leaders and university vice chancellors.
For our report, we've included the list of the highest salaries drawn from all parts of the public sector at the top. And further down in the article we've compiled more detailed reports for different sectors which also include other parts of the total remuneration including pension contributions.
These are the people with the highest basic salaries in public sector jobs in Wales for the 2020-21 financial year (or 2020 academic year).
- Professor Paul Boyle, vice chancellor Swansea University: £293,000
- Colin Riordan, vice chancellor, Cardiff University: £271,000
- Professor Cara Aitchison, vice chancellor Cardiff Met University: £242,879
- Medwin Hughes, vice chancellor, University of Wales Trinity St David: £232,000
- Elizabeth Treasure, vice chancellor Aberystwyth University: £232,000
- Dr Stuart Walker, executive medical director, Cardiff and Vale health board: £225-230,000
- Julie Lydon, vice chancellor University of South Wales: £229,000
- Giles Thorley, chief executive of Development Bank of Wales: £216,264
- Rhodri Talfan Davies, director of BBC Wales and BBC Director of Nations, £210,000-£214,999
- Len Richards, chief executive, Cardiff and Vale health board: £210-215,000
Dr Andrew Goodall was the chief executive of the Welsh NHS (Ben Evans/Huw Evans Agency) - Dr Andrew Goodall, director general of Health and Social Services for NHS Wales: £205-210,000
- Judith Paget, chief executive, Aneurin Bevan health board: £205-210,000
- Dr Frank Atherton, chief medical officer, NHS Wales: £200-205,000
- Professor Maria Hinfelaar, vice chancellor, Wrexham Glyndŵr University: £203,600
- Professor Iwan Davies, vice chancellor Bangor University: £202,000
- Steve Moore, chief executive Hywel Dda health board: £195-200,000
- Nick Lyons, medical director and deputy/acting chief executive Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board: £190-195,000
- Paul Orders, chief executive Cardiff council: £185,385
- Steve Webster, director of finance Cwm Taf health board: £180-185,000
And these are the top earners broken down by sector, once basic salary, benefits and pension contributions are all taken into account.
Welsh councils
Here are the salaries of every chief executive of Wales' 22 unitary authorities (including basic salary, benefits and pension contributions) for 2020-21 :
Local Authority |
Basic salary/Pension contribution | Total remuneration |
Denbighshire* |
£145,485/£32,470 |
£280,189 |
Cardiff |
£185,385/£38,375 |
£223,760 |
Pembrokeshire** |
£193,575 |
£193,576 |
Rhondda Cynon Taf |
£154,000/£33,000 |
£188,000 |
Carmarthenshire |
£151,967/£27,810 |
£179,777 |
Powys |
£142,000/£37,000 |
£179,000 |
Flintshire |
£144,585/£34,122 |
£178,707 |
Caerphilly |
£144,031/£28,908 |
£172,939 |
Vale of Glamorgan |
£138,641/£29,392 (managing director) |
£168,033 |
Bridgend |
£139,768/£27,674 |
£167,442 |
Wrexham |
£127,588/£29,958 |
£157,546 |
Swansea |
£152,671 |
£152,671 |
Merthyr Tydfil |
£121,155/£30,652 (interim chief exec) |
£151,807 |
Conwy |
£124,791/£27,709 |
£149,500 |
Monmouthshire |
£119,955/£27,710 |
£147,665 |
Anglesey |
£120,526/£25,793 |
£146,336 |
Torfaen |
£115,081/£27,898 |
£142,979 |
Gwynedd |
£118,063/£24,085 |
£142,148 |
Ceredigion |
£117,866/£18,623 |
£136,489 |
Blaenau Gwent |
£109,414/£25,712 (managing director) |
£135,126 |
Neath Port Talbot |
£109,802/£22,290 (appointed Jan 2021) |
£132,092 |
Newport |
£86,068/£18,246 (appointed July 2020) |
£104,839 |
*Denbighshire chief executive left the council on April 6, 2021. An exit payment of £102,234 was paid which included payment for loss of office and contractual entitlements such as pay in lieu of notice.
**Pembrokeshire's chief executive/returning officer left on November 30, 2020 and was paid a £95,000 settlement. There is an ongoing review by Audit Wales into the lawfulness of the settlement agreement payment. Read more on that here.
Welsh Government/Quangos
1. Giles Thorley
Job: Chief executive of Development Bank of Wales
Basic salary: £216,264
Before joining the Development Bank of Wales, Mr Thorley was a partner at private equity firm TDR Capital LLP focusing on deal origination activities. Prior to this he spent nine years with Punch Taverns plc – the first year as chair, and then as chief executive, where he enjoyed a basic salary of £410,000.
2. Dr Andrew Goodall
Job: Director general of Health and Social Services for NHS Wales
Basic salary: £205-210,000
Dr Andrew Goodall was appointed to the role of director general of health and social services/chief executive NHS Wales in June 2014. His role includes both supporting ministerial priorities for health and social care within the civil service structures, and the leadership and oversight of NHS Wales.
He has since been appointed the new permanent secretary of the Welsh Government but his salary listed here relates to his previous job.
3. Dr Frank Atherton
Job: Chief medical officer, NHS Wales
Basic salary: £200-205,000
Dr Atherton took up post of chief medical officer, medical director NHS Wales in August 2016. He graduated in medicine from Leeds University and worked in hospital and primary care posts around the North of England for a number of years and in 2012 moved to Canada to take up post as the deputy chief medical officer of health in the Department of Health and Wellness, Nova Scotia.
4. Dr Tracey Cooper
Job: Chief executive of Public Health Wales
Basic salary: £160-165,000 Pension contribution: £41,000
Total remuneration: £200-205,000
Dr Cooper qualified as a doctor at Southampton University in 1990 and her role with PHW is to oversee work to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Wales and to reduce health inequalities.
5. Nick Bennett
Job: Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
Basic salary: £150-155,000 Pension contribution: £59,000
Total remuneration: £210-215,000
Mr Bennett left the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales in after seven years in the job. His role comes with legal powers to look into complaints about public services and independent care providers in Wales. He is currently acting as Public Services Ombudsman while his successor is found.
6. Manon Antoniazzi
Job: Chief executive and clerk of the Senedd
Basic salary: £145-150,000 Pension contribution: £57,000
Total remuneration: £200-205,000
Appointed in April 2017, she is responsible for ensuring that the Senedd, and the sixty Members of the Senedd, are provided with the property, staff and services so that the Senedd inspires confidence and has a reputation for accessible and efficient democracy.
7. Claire Pillman
Job: Chief executive of Natural Resources Wales
Basic salary: £140-145,000 Pension contribution: £49,000
Total remuneration: £185-190,000
Appointed in 2018, Ms Pillman heads up Wales' largest Welsh Government sponsored body which has a budget of £180m and employs 1,900 staff.
8. David Blaney
Job: Chief executive of Higher Education Funding Council Wales
Basic salary: £130-135,000 Pension contribution: £68,000
Total remuneration: £200-205,000
Mr Blaney was appointed to the top job at the HEFCW, which regulates higher education providers in Wales, in 2012.
9. Philip Baker
Job: Chief executive Qualifications Wales
Basic salary: £130-135,000 Pension contribution: £48,000
Total remuneration: £180-185,000
Qualifications Wales regulates qualifications, other than degrees, in Wales and regulates qualifications that are developed and delivered by the awarding bodies that it recognises
10. Huw George
Job: Deputy chief executive and executive director of operations and finance for Public Health Wales
Basic salary: £130-135,000 Pension contribution: £39,000
Total remuneration: £170-175,000
Mr George joined PHW in 2010 as the director of finance having trained as a chartered accountant, working in London, Cardiff and Brazil, before joining the NHS in 1994.
11. Meilyr Rowlands
Job: Chief inspector of education and training in Wales, Estyn
Basic salary: £115-120,000 Pension contribution: £52,000
Total remuneration: £165-170,000
Mr Rowlands was replaced by Owen Evans in 2022. While in charge of Estyn, he was responsible for the inspection of education and training in Wales, as well as the management, staffing and organisation of Estyn itself.
12. Sue Evans
Job: Chief executive of Social Care Wales
Basic salary: £118,500
Mrs Evans worked for the NHS before taking up her role at Social Care Wales. Her job is to oversee the development of the workforce, to improve care and support and to increase public confidence in care.
13. David Anderson
Job: Director general, National Museum Wales
Basic salary: £105-110,000 Pension contribution: £21,000
Total remuneration: £125-130,000
Mr Anderson joined Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales as Director General in 2010 and has overseen the transformation of St Fagans Museum to become the National Museum of History for Wales.
14. Hayden Llewellyn
Job: Chief executive of Education Workforce Council
Basic salary: £95-100,000 Pension contribution: £51,000
Total remuneration: £150-155,000
Mr Llewellyn joined the Council at its inception in 2000, working initially as deputy chief executive, before assuming the role of chief executive in 2014. The Council is the independent regulator for the education workforce in Wales, covering teachers and learning support staff in school and further education settings, qualified youth/youth support workers and work-based learning practitioners.
15. Aled Roberts
Job: Welsh Language Commissioner
Basic salary: £95-100,000 Pension contribution: £54,000
Total remuneration: £145-150,000
Mr Robert oversees the promotion of the Welsh language by raising awareness of the official status of the Welsh language in Wales and imposing standards on organisations.
16. Dyfed Alsop
Job: Chief executive of Welsh Revenue Authority
Basic salary: £95-100,000 Pension contribution: £48,000
Total remuneration: £145-150,000
Mr Alsop is the first chief executive of the Welsh Revenue Authority and he started his career in the private sector working for HSBC in Wales and internationally in Spain, Argentina and Brazil.
17. Sarah Powell
Job: Chief executive at Sport Wales
Basic salary: £95-100,000 Pension contribution: £35,000
Total remuneration: £125-130,000
Ms Powell was appointed in 2013 having previously been a corporate director at Sport Wales. She left the organisation in October 2021 to take up the role of chief executive of British Gymnastics.
Health
1. Dr Stuart Walker
Job: Executive medical director at Cardiff and Vale health board
Basic salary: £225-230,000 Pension contribution: £85,000
Total remuneration: £310-315,000
2. Leonard Richards
Job: Chief executive of Cardiff and Vale health board
Basic salary: £210-215,000 Pension contribution: £54,000
Total remuneration: £265-270,000
3. Judith Paget
Job: Chief executive of Aneurin Bevan health board
Basic salary: £205-210,000 Pension contribution: £37,000
Total remuneration: £245-250,000
4. Steve Moore
Job: Chief executive of Hywel Dda health board
Basic salary: £195-200,000 Pension contribution: £10,000
Total remuneration: £205-210,000
5. Phil Kloer
Job: Executive medical director/ deputy chief executive of Hywel Dda health board
Basic salary: £175-180,000 Pension contribution: £51,000
Total remuneration: £225-230,000
6. Richard Evans
Job: Swansea Bay health board medical director
Basic salary: £175-180,000 Pension contribution: £125,000
Total remuneration: £300-305,000
7. Carol Shillabeer
Job: Chief executive of Powys health board
Basic salary: £170-175,000 Pension contribution: £48,000
Total remuneration: £215-220,000
8. Push Mangat
Job: Medical director at Health Education and Improvement Wales (seconded from Swansea Bay)
Basic salary: £165-170,000 Pension contribution: £60,000
Total remuneration: £225-230,000
9. Jason Killens
Job: Chief executive of Welsh Ambulance Service
Basic salary: £160-165,000 Pension contribution: £41,000
Total remuneration: £210-215,000
10. Dr Sarah Aitken
Job: Director of Public Health & Strategic Partnerships at Aneurin Bevan health board
Basic salary: £155-160,000 Pension contribution: £48,000
Total remuneration: £205-210,000
11. Darren Griffiths
Job: Interim director of Swansea Bay health board
Basic salary: £140-145,000 Pension contribution: £476,000*
Total remuneration: £620-625,000
12. Rhiannon Jones
Job: Director of nursing at Aneurin Bevan health board
Basic salary: £130-135,000 Pension contribution: £84,000
Total remuneration: £215-220,000
13. Gregory Dix
Job: Director of nursing, midwifery and patient care at Cwm Taf health board,
Basic salary: £130-135,000 Pension contribution: £166,000
Total remuneration: £335-340,000
14. Alison Davies
Job: Director of nursing and midwifery at Powys health board
Basic salary: £110-115,000 Pension contribution: £300,000
Total remuneration: £410-415,000
15. Claire Roche
Job: executive director of quality and nursing at Welsh Ambulance Service
Basic salary: £105-110,000 Pension contribution: £214,000
Total remuneration: £325-330,000
Higher Education
Welsh university vice chancellors ranked by total remuneration. Not all are members of the final pension scheme and some alos receive benefits in kind such as a car and driver and accommodation.
*Dr Ben Calvert replaced Professor Dame Lydon in April 2021
Emergency Services/Local Government
1. Jeremy Vaughan
Job: Chief constable, South Wales Police
Matt Jukes stepped down as chief constable in September 2020 and was replaced by Jeremy Vaughan.
Jeremy Vaughan Basic salary: £65,837 Pension contribution: £20,410
Total remuneration: £86,247 (Annualised salary: £165,215)
2. Chris Davies
Job: Chief fire officer, Mid and West Wales Fire Service
Total remuneration: £156,180
3. Carl Foulkes
Job: Chief constable, North Wales Police
Basic salary: £155,809 Pension contribution: £48,301
Total remuneration: £222,687
4. Pam Kelly
Job: Chief constable, Gwent Police
Basic salary: £148,389 Pension contribution: £46,001
Total remuneration: £205,212
5. Dr Richard Lewis
Job: Chief constable, Dyfed-Powys Police
Basic salary: £146,469 Pension contribution: £44,089
Total remuneration: £189,623
6. Huw Jakeway
Job: Chief fire officer, South Wales Fire Service
Basic salary: £138,000 Pension contribution: £38,000
Total remuneration: £176,000
7. Simon Smith
Job: Chief fire officer, North Wales Fire Service
Basic salary: £131,392 Pension contribution: £42,224
Total remuneration: £173,762
Dawn Docx replaced Mr Smith in July 2021.
8. Emyr Williams
Job: Chief executive, Snowdonia National Park Authority
Basic salary: £91,000 Pension contribution: £18,000
Total remuneration: £109,000
9. Tegryn Jones
Job: Chief executive, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority
Basic salary: £84,000 Pension contribution: £11,000
Total remuneration: £96,000
10. Julian Atkins
Job: Chief executive, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority
Basic salary: £84,000 Pension contribution: £17,000
Total remuneration: £186,000
Julian Atkins left the Authority on March 31, 2021 with a termination benefit of £85,000 and was replaced by Catherine Mealing-Jones.
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