Former rugby player and Question of Sport team captain, Matt Dawson has been confirmed as the celebrity speaker for the Cornwall Business Awards in May.

The awards are organised and presented by Cornwall Development Company in association with Business Cornwall Magazine and the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce.

Colin Dennis, chairman of Cornwall Development Company, said: “We are thrilled that Matt Dawson has agreed to be our guest speaker at this year’s awards. Not only is Matt an exceptional sporting hero, he has also gone on to achieve outstanding success off the field, with a brilliant career in broadcasting and a number of innovative business ventures. Matt has a reputation as a hugely entertaining and inspiring speaker, so he is the perfect choice for our awards night.”

Matt said: “It’s a great honour to be invited to speak at such an important awards ceremony. There seems to be an amazing range of exciting and creative business ideas coming out of Cornwall right now, so I am really keen to find out more about the local business people who are driving all this success.

“I don’t get an opportunity to visit this beautiful part of the world as often as I would like, so being able to do that and to meet all the finalists from this year’s awards will be a real buzz for me.”

Any business based in Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly can enter one or more of 14 award categories, which include best new business, best family business and best international business.

The awards dinner on May 18 is expected to be attended by over 300 key business leaders

Colin Dennis added: “This is a great opportunity for successful local businesses to get wider recognition and publicity for their achievements, so I would urge as many as possible to enter.”

Entries for the Cornwall Business Awards should be made online and the closing date is midnight on March 12. A full list of the award categories and criteria, and an online entry form, are available at cornwallbusinessawards.co.uk