Meet the Team

EMMA THORNTON

Heading up the Organisation in the role of CEO, is our lovely Emma Thornton. Emma has been in post since Visit Pembrokeshire launched as the official Destination Management Organisation( DMO) for Pembrokeshire in November 2020. As former CEO of Visit Cambridge and Beyond we have since adopted Emma as an honorary-Welsh person and love her passion for all things Pembrokeshire. Managing our Strategic Partners to help deliver Pembrokeshire’s Destination Management Plan, Emma co-ordinates our efforts to make the County a leading place to visit.

Likes: Homemade cakes & any drink with bubbles!

Dislikes: Heights, fairground rides, butter and mushrooms

At the weekend: Emma loves catching up with friends and family and taking long walks with her bonkers but gorgeous working cocker spaniel Clover.

ALYSSA FREEMAN

Next we have Alyssa Freeman as our Membership & Marketing Manager. Coming from the world of corporate hotel management and events, Alyssa brings a wealth of experience to the role and has implemented a variety of systems for a more proactive and productive Visit Pembrokeshire. With a ‘let's do this’ and ‘you’ve got this’ approach, Alyssa has improved Pembrokeshire’s communications and reach over the last 12-months and shows no signs of slowing down – even with a baby on the way!

Likes: DIY projects & red wine

Dislikes: BBQ sauce on pizza & shopping without a list

At the weekend: You may find Alyssa pottering around her house with a paintbrush, crowbar or sander in hand, taking on some sort of refurbishment or upcycling project. A keen foodie, she also enjoys preparing or popping out for dinner and spending time with her family which includes 3 guinea pigs.

ELAINE BELL

Moving on to the first of our resident Oracles, would be the powerhouse of knowledge that is Elaine Bell. Elaine has been part of this tourism organisation in its many phases, including when Tourism was a department of Pembrokeshire County Council. Now specialising in Business Support, our lead contact for PR enquiries and more recently supporting the roll out of the new Visit Pembrokeshire website. Elaine is at hand to make sure your listing is best in class and flying the flag for our county.

Likes: Dry dog walks & Wine

Dislikes: Squid & Dog walks in the rain

At the weekend: Weekends are spent catching up with jobs around the house and garden. Walking her Cockapoo Harvey (she does this quite a lot), spending time with her 5 grandchildren and cooking a huge Sunday roast for the family.

LIZ WILLIAMS

Our second Oracle, is the unbelievably well-connected Liz Williams. Liz heads up our Events programme as the go to lady for venues and guest speaker slots. With monthly events throughout the year, Liz is busy making sure our Networking, Meet the Team, Tourism Summit, AGM and Croeso Awards all run smoothly and support the tourism businesses of Pembrokeshire by providing timely information in order to deliver an exceptional visitor experiences.

Likes: Being outdoors & travelling

Dislikes: Tea (even tried drinking every day to make herself like it) & Gyms

At the weekend: Entertaining & spending time with family

ELLIE (ELAINE) SMITH

Our resident whirl-wind is the amazing Ellie Smith. Ellie’s real name is Elaine but we already had one of those so Ellie it is! Ellie is our Membership Officer who can regularly be seen out and about in Pembrokeshire meeting with businesses to discuss how they can get the most out of a Visit Pembrokeshire membership. Having decades of experience in drink sales, as formerly working for Diageo, it's hard to go out and about with Ellie without her bumping into someone she already knows.

Likes: Tanqueray and slimline tonic, with loads of ice and a thick slice of lime, stirred.

Dislikes: People who do not wave ‘thank you’ when you pull in or reverse, especially when it’s your right of way

At the weekend: You will find Ellie spending time with her children and grandchildren, supporting them from the side lines of their chosen sport. Drinking Gin and laughing!

MATTHEW TELFER

Adding to our growing Membership expertise is Matt, who originally hails from South Africa (via the Midlands), and has now made Pembrokeshire home to his young family. With valuable experience and expertise from Account Management and Corporate Partnerships to Membership Coordination, Matt has worked across various industries, with organisations including Averys Wine Merchants, Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum and Bristol Zoo!

Likes: Surfing at our brilliant beaches Newgale and Whitesands; Cycling Route 4; Walking coastal paths; Exploring on his new electric skateboard.

Dislikes: Rural traffic delays; Litter spoiling our countryside; Impoliteness.

At the weekend: You’ll find Matt on the sidelines supporting his son at rugby matches, or chauffeuring his children to music, swimming or skateboarding lessons.

LISA SOAR

As part of the initiative to bring all our marketing in-house, leads us to our latest recruit, our Marketing Executive Lisa Soar. Lisa is incredibly talented, being a professional photographer and copy writer, using her years of journalism experience to hone the Pembrokeshire brand narrative. As we take proactive steps to create more of our own content, you will see Lisa out and about at key Pembrokeshire events gathering imagery and footage for our feature reels.

Likes: Birdsong in spring; the sea; being surrounded by nature; telling people’s stories through photography and videography; beautiful light

Dislikes:Coriander; ironing; midges; cold tea; ‘bad’ light

At the weekend: You’ll find Lisa on the sidelines of football pitches in Pembrokeshire and further afield, supporting her daughter (flying left-winger) at matches. Otherwise, she’ll be out and about with cameras in hand!

LAURA HEEKS

Joining our Marketing team, Laura has a creative background in Design and Marketing, having worked for organisations from First Choice Holidays and Guardian News & Media to Pentagram and a multitude of studios and agencies across England and Wales. Living in South Pembrokeshire with her young family, Laura has been a combo of mum and Freelance Designer for the past decade so is excited to now be part of a team again at Visit Pembrokeshire.

Likes: Getting off the beaten track and exploring; Photography and Creative Writing; Back-packing (pre-kids!), Gherkins.

Dislikes: Never having enough time; Injustice; Not seeing enough of my friends because they are in so many different places.

At the weekend: You’ll find Laura at all sorts of child-based activities; parties, football, dance classes…

DAVID GONCALVES

Sorting out the back end of the Visit Pembrokeshire website, is our very own South African tech wizard David. Integral to the roll out of the new Visit Pembrokeshire website, David is our go-to man for making sure all web content is up to date, that Members can enjoy all the sites new features as well as the eradication of any pesky tech-bugs!

Likes: Rugby, F1 and a good Braai (BBQ)

Dislikes: Pickles on Burgers and my teams not winning

At the weekend: You will find David mostly watching sport, going for long walks, a little bit of gaming and having a Braai, no matter the weather!

EFFI MAI PAUL

Managing our special project marketing campaigns, is the lovely Effi Mai. Currently looking after the Transport for Wales & Great Western Railway ‘Come to Pembrokeshire by train’ campaign, Effi sources and schedules content promoting sustainable train travel across our County.

Likes: Rugby and Rumples my Ginger Cat

Dislikes: Honey and carrots

At the weekend: Effi will most likely be reading a book, doing some arts and crafts, going on walks and cooking up a storm

DYFAN HOWELLS

Last but certainly not least, is our resident Finance Officer Dyfan. With his meticulous and process driven approach keeps our accounts ticking along nicely. Although you may not meet Dyfan at our events, he is always there in the background working away to make sure invoices are raised, processed and paid, keeping Visit Pembrokeshire running smoothly.

Likes: Football, Podcasts and Spreadsheets

Dislikes: Blue Cheese & Heavy Traffic

At the weekend: Weekends are spent away from his desk and usually involve being active whether that’s hiking, visiting a new hotspot or going to the gym. Otherwise, he will be watching his football team (Arsenal) with plenty of snacks.