As Dr. Maryam Lotfi takes over as the new Chair of Fair Trade Wales, it is the right moment to look back with gratitude on the extraordinary contribution of Lila Haines, who recently stepped down from the role after years of exceptional service.

Lila joined the board in 2017, and from the very beginning her energy and breadth of experience were invaluable to the movement. In 2018, she oversaw an important review of Wales’s Fair Trade Nation status and the tenth anniversary report, which included welcoming Fair Trade organisations from ten different countries to Wales – an event that laid the foundations for a period of growth and change.

Then in 2019, Wales hosted the International Fair Trade Towns Conference, with 250 people from over 70 countries in attendance. Lila chaired the welcome evening at the Senedd; a dinner of Welsh and Fairtrade foods – compering the whole evening tri-lingually in English, Welsh and Spanish!

When Covid struck in 2020, Lila worked behind the scenes to help shape a new strategy and support a rebrand and new website. In 2023, she was central to celebrating 15 years of Wales as a Fair Trade Nation, with new criteria developed and a celebration held at the Senedd. That same year, she took on the additional responsibility of Interim Chair of Hub Cymru Africa, supporting a significant period of organisational change and serving as Claire O’Shea‘s line manager – the former Head of Hub Cymru Africa.

In 2024 she was part of securing new funding for a national arts competition, and in 2025, our journey towards becoming a registered charity began – another exciting chapter started under her leadership.

We also want to acknowledge the contributions of Brân Devey and Natalie Rees, two dedicated directors who have also recently stepped down. Natalie brought over 20 years of sustainability expertise to the board, including setting up and gaining status for the Fairtrade Neath Port Talbot County Group. Brân brought his passion for global education, communication and international justice to the team. His parting message reads:

“Fair Trade truly does transform lives and makes a real difference (I’ve seen and experienced it), hopefully one day a fair deal for producers will be the norm not the exception.”

To all three – Diolch o galon. The marks of your work are across everything we are today.