Welcome to the Home Page for the High Sheriff of Gwent.
This year’s High Sheriff is Mrs Shereen Williams MBE OstJ JP DL, who was sworn in on 9th April 2026.
Shereen Williams MBE OStJ JP DL is the CEO Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru (DBCC) and Secretary to the Boundary Commission for Wales (BCW), with a career spanning culture and heritage, community development and cohesion, and electoral reform.
Shereen, who is of Malay heritage, moved to Wales from Singapore in 2005 and is the first Muslim woman to serve as High Sheriff of Gwent. Prior to her current role, Shereen spent nearly a decade in local government across Newport and Monmouthshire, serving first as Regional Community Cohesion Co-ordinator, and then as Connected Communities Manager for East Gwent.
Shereen has a long-standing commitment to volunteering, having contributed over 20 years of service across the third sector and statutory bodies. She is a former trustee of a number of Welsh charities, including St John Ambulance Cymru and the Institute of Welsh Affairs. Her contributions have been widely recognised: in 2010 she received the Welsh Government’s Recognising Achievement Award for services to community cohesion, followed by an honorary MBE in 2017 for community service; and in 2018 she was recognised internationally through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Influential Leaders Challenge. In 2020, she was admitted into the Order of St John as an Officer, and in 2021 she was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Gwent.
For her Shrieval year, Shereen will be focusing on championing volunteering across Gwent, celebrating the vital contribution of volunteers and encouraging more people to give their time in service to their communities. She will support the Gwent High Sheriffs’ Community Fund and engage in activities aligned with her experience in public service and the justice system, while also taking a keen interest in grassroots community initiatives, youth development, and cultural organisations throughout the county.
During her year of office, Shereen will be assisted by her Under Sheriff, Natalie Sandercock, and by her Chaplain, The Reverend Vaughan Rees.