The CEO of a Welsh award-winning independent production company has been appointed a Business Ambassador for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.
Emyr Afan and his wife, Mair Davies, co-founded Afanti Media in 1997. It is famed for creating high-quality content for the likes of BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky.
Emyr received an OBE for his services to media and music in 2024 and was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year at the Cardiff Business Awards, having won the coveted Cardiff Business of the Year and Creative Business of the Year in 2023. Described by CEO Monthly as ‘One of the most influential production CEOs in Wales. He is Chair of EVO Ultra ‘Hiraeth’, a peer group of senior CEO’s and Managing Directors, and music charities Anthem andthe Welsh Music Guild.
Emyr Afan OBE said: “I feel deeply honoured to be involved with Wales Air Ambulance.
“We need to celebrate what Wales has to offer, and Wales Air Ambulance is a big part of that success story. Whatever skills and contacts I have, I will use them to my fullest capabilities to help elevate the Charity.”
Wales Air Ambulance is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It has carried out over 56,000 missions since its first flight on the 1st of March 2001.
Back then, “Afanti Cymru was ‘riding the Cool Cymru wave’” said Emyr. “We were doing all the big music events! From Tom Jones in Cardiff Castle, the Stereophonics at Morfa and The Big Noise on a floating stage in Cardiff Bay with Paul Weller and Catatonia.
“Then one wet Sunday afternoon, we were taking a drive with our four kids in the back of the car and came across a Willy Wonka-style looking factory in Pontypridd – and thought, ‘What’s that?’
“It was the old home of Corona pop. We entered and came across all these discarded labels of pop and realised we made pop of a different kind, pop music, and thought it would be the perfect home for developing Welsh musical talent.”
To help launch the initiative, Emyr called up Pontypridd legend Tom Jones, who was living in LA. His face breaks into a smile as he remembers how he ‘couldn’t afford to pay him.’
Instead, he said: “I told Tom I’ll give you 1% of my company, and he said, ‘you’re on’. He has been with us ever since. Another proud Welshman, proud of where he has come from.
“Tom came home and smashed a bottle of dandelion and burdock on the side of the building at the official opening. It was iconic in its time.
“Alex Jones, Gethin Jones and Steve Jones, anybody with the name Jones came through the gates. Look at them now – still at the top of their game.
“I feel Wales Air Ambulance’s 25th anniversary is equally as iconic, in terms of a moment in history in Wales. We need to celebrate its achievements.”
Wales Air Ambulance must raise £13 million each year to keep its helicopters in the sky and rapid response vehicles on the road.
Emyr acknowledged this, adding: “Fundraising, building a service at the quality level it operates at and the provision that is there, is hard work!
“The Charity must raise an extraordinary amount to keep going. People like me should be giving up our time to do what we can to help support.
“Wales Air Ambulance is in the mix with the best global brands to come out of Wales, emanating excellence.”
Emyr said: “Afanti is a family-run business. It came about because my wife and I wanted to spend more time together. We were working long hours, and I thought we could do this differently.
“We love Italian things, sport, music, family and culture. I saw the word Avanti whilst filming in Italy. Over the years that has evolved to Afanti with an F. The F stands for family, it’s also factual because we do a lot of documentaries worldwide.”
The company has attracted investment from the likes of Pinewood and was owned by Sky Studios for several years. But Emyr and Mair decided to buy it back in 2020, and they haven’t looked back ever since.
He said: “At that time, my son Osian had come back to Wales after working for the Ministry of Defence and Naomie returned from our London office to raise a family here in Cardiff – so we got the band back together.
“They are now in the process of succession and they are brilliant. Which means I have more capacity to give and giving back is now what I enjoy and value most.”
He added: “Wales Air Ambulance is a uniquely Welsh brand, really needed in Wales in terms of the landscape, the coast, the mountains.
“I’ve had quite a long career in media and global events; we have a lot of industry contacts. We have strong storytelling expertise we would like to bring this to the table to help Wales Air Ambulance increase its reach.
“The values of the lifesaving service shine through everything it does. I hope we can amplify that.”
