An entrepreneur who started her hotel amenities business at 23 and later sold it for £20million, is now focussing on helping business owners and directors in Cornwall to prepare for the future.

Pacific Direct founder, Lara Morgan is also a three-times finalist of Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award and a Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year finalist. She, alongside local business champion Robert Salvoni, has been announced as a keynote speaker at the next Future Focus event being held at the Eden Project on May 9.

Launched in January by Unlocking Potential, Future Focus is a new programme including inspirational speaker events, designed to help Cornish business leaders rise to the challenges and opportunities of future growth. Delivered in partnership with the University of Exeter, the £4.7 million programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and aims to give Cornish businesses tools, resources and collaborative networks designed to help them break boundaries, innovate and grow.

Lara says she’s excited to work with innovative Cornish businesses. "I love working with those companies that really have a desire to put ambition to grow, to sell more and to target the right game-changing customers at the forefront of their agenda.

"Living in the South West and having experienced some of the world-class expertise from designers and product innovators but also appreciating the challenges of Cornish location, I’m keen to communicate the enormous value and opportunity that exists for companies willing to adventure and enterprise."

Lara will be joined by an expert panel including local businessman and leadership expert Robert Salvoni whoacts as a non-executive director for a number of Cornwall’s fastest growing-businesses including Bluefruit Software, Swoop Labs and Core Technology Systems.

The event will focus on business evolution, exploring the opportunities for change and innovation as well as leadership style, creating high-performance teams and an effective business strategy. The event is fully-funded for ERDF-eligible businesses, but those wishing to attend must register at unlocking-potential.co.uk, as places are limited.