Roger Maggs was born in Newport, Gwent but grew up in Carmarthenshire. He attended Amman Valley Grammar School at Ammanford, The University of Swansea and Warwick University Business School.
He had 27 years experience of the metals industry working for Alcan Aluminium Ltd. After postings in the UK and South America he moved in 1986 to Alcan’s headquarters in Montreal Canada where he was appointed a vice president of the global company.
He left Alcan in 1994 to co-found, with Sir Terrance Matthews, Celtic House Venture Partners, a venture fund focused on investment in start-up technology companies in the UK, USA, and Canada.
He has sat on the boards of several North American public technology companies including, Xcerra (LTXC:NASDAQ), Spectra 7 (SEV:TSE), and Sandvine Corporation (SVC:TSE).
In April 2016 he was appointed Chair of the Port Talbot Waterfront Zone by the then Minister of Economy for the Welsh Government. He was also chair of Excalibur Steel UK, a bidder for the assets of Tata Steel UK and currently serves on the board of International Convention Centre Wales.
Until December 2024 he was the first chair of the Celtic Freeport Floating Offshore Wind Project.
He is currently learning Welsh, is an honorary fellow of Swansea University and an MBE.
Growing up in Wales near two very different rivers, one pristine and very much alive, the other dying from the effects of industrial waste, he believes he has seen in the past, a terrible future. However many years later the dying river is vibrant, and although both rivers are still threatened, there is clear proof that something can be done.