Gemma Casey leaves Business News Wales editor role 2026

Key Points

• Editor of Business News Wales, Gemma Casey, has quit her job to venture into the world of finance.
• Gemma Casey has taken on the position of Communications and PR for Cardiff-based Cornerstone Finance Group on a fractional and freelance basis.
• This is after she was appointed in February 2024 as the head of editorial and operations for Business News Wales, taking over from the founder, Mark Powney.
• “The communications and PR experience that Gemma will bring to us will help us craft our messages to our peers, our clients, and the wider industry as we continue to grow rapidly,” said Haydn Thomas, CEO of Cornerstone Finance Group.
• “I’m really excited about being able to support such an ambitious and high-achieving business,” said Casey.
• This news comes at a time when Business News Wales is experiencing some changes in its editorial strategy, most recently with the appointment of Vicki Evans, former special adviser to the Welsh Government, as the director of editorial strategy.

Wales (Wales Times) September 28, 2026 – Gemma Casey, editor of independent digital publication Business News Wales, has left the title to take up a new position leading communications strategy at fast-growing financial services group Cornerstone Finance. The move marks the latest stage in a career that has spanned local and national newsrooms, broadcast journalism at BBC Wales, a decade in banking at NatWest, and more than two years at the helm of Wales’ leading business news brand.

What has happened to Business News Wales editor Gemma Casey?

Gemma Casey has stepped down from her role as editor of Business News Wales to join Cornerstone Finance Group, a uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff-headquartered hub of specialist financial services businesses covering commercial finance, mortgages, commercial insurance, wealth and protection. According to Cornerstone’s announcement, she has been contracted as a freelance business journalist and PR specialist to lead the group’s communications strategy on a fractional basis.

Cornerstone Finance Group said in its statement that Casey would support its communications and public relations work as the business continues to grow, adding that her experience and skills would help refine messaging to colleagues, clients, networks and the wider financial services industry. The group highlighted its rapid expansion, noting that turnover rose from £7.161 million in 2024 to £12.712 million in 2025, and that it was named among the Fast Growth Index UK’s Top 250 fastest-growing companies in 2025.

Haydn Thomas, chief executive of Cornerstone Finance Group, said: “Gemma’s experience and skills will help us refine our messaging to our colleagues, clients and networks as well as to the wider industry.” He added: “We are a fast-growth company and we operate in a sector which is fast-paced and continually influenced by economic and geopolitical factors. This means we need our communications to be agile, on point and to add value to all our stakeholders.”

In her own statement, Casey said: “I’m really looking forward to supporting this ambitious and high-achieving business with fractional PR and comms support.” She continued: “The Cornerstone team and its networks have a wealth of knowledge as well as insights which are of real value to the wider financial services sector. This is a great opportunity to support the firm to build its profile as it continues to expand and grow.”

Who is Gemma Casey and what is her background?

Gemma Casey is a business journalist and editor with decades of experience across print, broadcast and digital media, according to Cornerstone Finance Group’s profile of her appointment. She began her career in local newspapers before moving to the Press Association and then to BBC Wales, where she worked in television and radio news and current affairs, including producing BBC Radio Wales’ weekly business programme.

She subsequently spent ten years at NatWest, where her roles included managing regional PR for the South West and Wales, as well as supporting scaling businesses through the bank’s enterprise programmes. Her most recent position before joining Cornerstone was as editor of independently owned digital publication Business News Wales.

Business News Wales itself describes Casey as a journalist who has worked across local newspapers, for national news agency PA Media and for BBC Wales TV and radio news and current affairs. The outlet also notes that she led a pilot project in hyperlocal digital media in the South Wales Valleys and later managed regional PR for a high street bank, with a focus on initiatives for women in business and ethnic minority entrepreneurs.

Casey was appointed head of editorial and operations at Business News Wales in February 2024, taking over editorial duties from founder and managing director Mark Powney, who said at the time that he would focus on developing the business following a significant investment round. In that role, she oversaw the title’s editorial output, podcast and roundtable events, positioning Business News Wales as “the voice of Welsh industry”.

What does Cornerstone Finance Group do and why is it hiring a former editor?

Cornerstone Finance Group is a Cardiff-based group of specialist financial services businesses spanning commercial finance, mortgages, commercial insurance, wealth and protection. The company has been expanding its teams in Cardiff and Sheffield, as well as growing its adviser network and the Cornerstone Commercial Network, according to its corporate materials.

The group’s leadership has framed Casey’s appointment as part of its effort to strengthen internal and external communications during a period of rapid growth and sector volatility. Haydn Thomas said the group operates in a “fast-paced” sector “continually influenced by economic and geopolitical factors”, and that it needed communications that were “agile, on point and to add value to all our stakeholders”.

By bringing in a former business editor with extensive PR experience in banking, Cornerstone is signalling an intention to professionalise and strategicise its messaging, leveraging Casey’s newsroom insight and industry contacts to shape how the group presents itself to clients, partners and the wider market. The arrangement is described as “fractional” PR and comms support, indicating a flexible, senior-level resource rather than a traditional in-house communications director role.

How does this fit with recent changes at Business News Wales?

Casey’s departure comes amid wider editorial restructuring at Business News Wales. In early September 2026, the title announced the appointment of Vicki Evans, a former Welsh Government special adviser, as its new director of editorial strategy. Evans previously served as special adviser to First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan and as special adviser for economy, energy and planning, providing senior strategic advice on policy, stakeholder engagement and government decision-making.

Mark Powney, managing director of Business News Wales, said at the time that the organisation was moving towards a model focused on “depth, expertise, evidence and quality” rather than simply producing more content in an increasingly crowded digital media environment. As part of those changes, Powney said he would take on day-to-day editorial responsibility for the Business News Wales homepage and its daily newsletter, working alongside the existing editorial and production team.

Vicki Evans described her role as helping Business News Wales connect the worlds of government and business, saying: “One of the things I learned from working inside government is just how valuable good business intelligence can be.” She added: “This isn’t about lobbying or taking political positions. Our independence is incredibly important. It is about listening, questioning and understanding, and making sure valuable expertise contributes to a better-informed conversation about the future of the Welsh economy.”

Against that backdrop, Casey’s move to Cornerstone Finance represents a further shift in the title’s leadership team, with the editor who oversaw its day-to-day journalism since early 2024 now moving into a communications role within the financial services sector that the publication covers.

Background to the development

The appointment of Gemma Casey as head of editorial and operations at Business News Wales in February 2024 was presented as a strengthening of the title’s editorial leadership, with founder Mark Powney stepping back from day-to-day editing to focus on business development after a significant investment round. At that time, Business News Wales said Casey would take over editorial duties from Powney, bringing experience as a writer, interviewer, sub-editor and editor across local newspapers, national news agency work and broadcast.

More than two years later, the organisation has embarked on a broader transformation of its editorial model, bringing in Vicki Evans to shape a new “dual media” approach that combines traditional journalism with deeper industry engagement and evidence-based coverage. Within that evolving structure, Casey’s departure to Cornerstone Finance marks a transition from leading the newsroom to providing senior communications expertise to a fast-growing financial services group that is itself an active participant in the Welsh business ecosystem covered by the publication.

Prediction: how this development could affect journalists, business media and the Welsh finance sector

For journalists and business media in Wales, Casey’s move underscores the fluid boundary between editorial leadership and strategic communications in the regional business news market. Her transition from editor to fractional PR and comms lead may encourage other senior journalists to consider similar hybrid or advisory roles with the companies they cover, potentially reshaping career pathways in specialist business reporting.

For Business News Wales, the change will test how effectively its new editorial strategy, led by Vicki Evans and overseen by Mark Powney, can maintain editorial independence and depth while key personnel move into industry-facing roles. If the new model successfully integrates industry expertise without compromising journalistic credibility, it could strengthen the outlet’s influence over economic debate in Wales.

For the Welsh finance sector, Cornerstone Finance’s decision to appoint a former business editor signals a more sophisticated approach to communications among mid-sized financial services groups. If other firms follow suit, this could raise the overall standard of corporate storytelling and stakeholder engagement in Welsh finance, while also sharpening scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest between former editors and the businesses they now advise.