Owen Smith is the Labour MP for Pontypridd and Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.
Owen joined the Labour Frontbench in October 2010, initially as Shadow Minister for the Wales Office, later as a member of the Shadow Health and Treasury Teams.
In May 2012, Labour Leader Ed Miliband appointed Owen to his Shadow Cabinet in the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.
Prior to being elected, Owen worked for five years in the Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals industry, latterly as a Director and member of the UK and Ireland Board of Amgen, the global biotechnology company.
Owen began his career as a BBC journalist, where he worked for ten years on network radio and television programmes, including BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’.
After leaving journalism, he spent three years working as a Government Special Adviser, principally at the Northern Ireland Office.
Owen was brought up in Pontypridd and lives in the constituency with his wife and three children.