Cornwall’s most famous example of innovative thinking, the Eden Project, has today provided the backdrop for a series of talks from leading figures in business and industry as the ambitious, Partner to Succeed programme launches in the region.
Partner to Succeed aims to support 380 companies over the next three years by forming business collaborations between businesses operating from Cornwall. Delivered by business support company, YTKO, Partner to Succeed is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Convergence investment and the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA).
The launch has been split into two halves. This morning is aimed at those working in industry and this afternoon will focus on commercial businesses operating  in the region. Both groups will be treated to a buffet lunch and networking session in between the two sets of presentations.
In the first of this morning’s speeches, Peter White, founder of YTKO, explained how the company had won the contract to deliver the programme in Cornwall, clearly demonstrating their previous success in other private and public sector projects of this size.
However, this morning’s star attraction has to the keynote speaker, Sir Richard Needham, Director at Dyson.
In a lively and inspirational speech, Sir Richard who for the last 12 years has worked closely with James Dyson, relived tales of his time at the the DTI, regeneration of Belfast City Centre and more recently his involvement with Dyson himself.
Sir Richard was brought up in Penryn, Cornwall. Speaking about Cornwall he said, Â “My final ambition is always to come back here. Cornwall has a wonderful history of engineering”.
“Remember you’re Cornish. Cornish people have been some of the greatest people in the world. If the best left, how could generation after generation of them continue breeding geniuses? The best haven’t left, they’re right here.” he continued.
We will publish the full event coverage in the next few days. If you would like to read the very latest from the event you can read updates on Twitter using hashtag #P2S or follow @biz_cornwall or @partneer2succeed on Twitter.
