Cornwall's 30 under 30 Class of 2023

A SOUVENIR ISSUE CELEBRATING THE DUCHY’S BRIGHTEST YOUNG BUSINESS TALENT IN 2023

THE NEXT GENERATION

When judging the 30 under 30 entrants each year I am a) in awe of the ambition and expertise we have coming up in Cornwall & Scilly b) thrilled to be part of such an inspiring process put together by my colleagues and our sponsors and c) sad that we can’t reward all nominees – it was 96 this year and I know, from personal connections, that doesn’t tell the whole story by any means.

We had entrepreneurs, change makers, prosperity creators and eco-warriors from a huge cross section of businesses and business support, all adding to the magic that makes living and working in Cornwall so special.

I congratulate you all, particularly those who’ve made it to the final 30. We look forward to engaging with all of you who entered - and those who didn’t – in our NEXGEN events throughout the year. See our website to get involved. And for the winners, we look forward to spending a great evening with you at The Alverton!

Thanks also to Ella and the marketing & events team at Cornwall Chamber of Commerce; Floss Bate who did so much to take this year’s awards up to the next level; our sponsors Coodes solicitors, Truro & Penwith College, Pirate FM, Business Cornwall magazine and Whyfield Associates without whom these exciting programmes can’t happen.

Thank you for your support. You help make 30 Under 30 such a key and enjoyable part of our year.

KIM CONCHIE, CEO CORNWALL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

ALEX MJ SMITH FREELANCE COPYWRITER

Alex MJ Smith went full time as a freelance copywriter and comedy writer shortly before lockdown and managed to keep his business afloat throughout.

Over the past three years he has become a go-to scriptwriter for local video production companies Bull & Wolf and Lightbox Film Co and has written content for the like of Cornwall Trade and Investment and Royal Cornwall Museum and a wide range of consumer brands across Cornwall and beyond.

Since moving to Cornwall in 2017, Alex has contributed to the growing Cornish screen industry by volunteering at Cornwall Film Festival, writing for Screen Cornwall and local production companies, and representing the Duchy on the BBC TV writing talent scheme ‘Cornish Voices’. He is also the youngest board member of Screen Cornwall.

DAN HUGGAN

THE PEOPLE HUB

Dan Huggan’s journey starts similarly to many college leavers in Cornwall - going into a low-paid, unskilled job but developing into an exceptional trajectory that will see him go far.

Dan was working as a shopper in his local supermarket when he saw the job for the People Hub admin and events officer post. A rare surge of confidence spurred him to apply and everyone is glad that it did.

Described as the “vital glue in our team” and a “fantastic team player”, Dan has had an instant impact at the People Hub from finance and invoicing, through to taking calls from some of Cornwall’s most vulnerable individuals and families, to organising and attending events.

ISABEL CUDE THOUGHT QUARTER

In a sector that has previously had a reputation of being male-dominated, Izzy has confidently and quickly learned new skills, all while championing being a woman in tech. Since joining the software developer just over a year ago, Izzy has made rapid progress, establishing herself as a reliable and knowledgeable project manager, successfully project managing a delivery team of ten. Since her appointment she’s increased productivity by 27% which has allowed Thought Quarter to scale the team, while improving profitability.

She is said to excel in commercial awareness, seeing the bigger picture beyond her role and is always looking for ways she can support the business in growing and attracting new clients or talent.

ABIGAIL HOBBS THE CORNISH LARDER

As co-founder of The Cornish Larder, Abigail Hobbs is “absolutely integral to all the success the business has achieved over the past few years”.

Taking charge of the customer-facing side, Abigail is responsible for managing and maintaining relationships with current stockists and new potential customers, this includes organising taster days and monitoring monthly sales reports.

Abigail is also responsible for all the marketing material The Cornish Larder produces, which includes producing two monthly newsletters for B2B & B2C customers, managing and producing content for all the business’ social media channels.

ALEX MJ SMITH

BEN CLEMENTS PEAKY DIGITAL

Ben Clements is senior growth executive at Falmouthbased digital marketing agency, Peaky Digital, working on new client acquisition and the growth of existing accounts.

Starting his career at Peaky during the height of Covid, Ben played an integral role in scaling the agency from a team of four to 17 and growing turnover from £262k to over £850k in 21/22.

As a Peaky ‘brand ambassador’, Ben is a strong presence on the speaker circuit, presenting at events including the Cornwall Business Show and Building Brands conference.

He was also behind the decision to implement a local reduced Cornish business rate to regional organisations, helping Peaky give back to the community and strengthening relationships with local companies.

FRANKIE THOMAS FRANKIE THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY

EMMA NORTON PRIMA BAKERIES

“The oil that allows the Prima Bakeries’ engines to run”, Emma Norton has been with Prima Bakeries since 2012, working her way up through the family business from part-time shop assistant to her current role as general manager.

Working alongside a small management team, Emma has been fundamental in growing Prima Bakeries ten-fold in the past ten years and last year saw the third expansion of Prima’s Scorrier store, which underwent a £60k extension. Her role includes planning and ordering of all raw materials, negotiating prices with suppliers, planning all aspects of daily and weekly production and looking after all staff recruitment and training.

Frankie Thomas only took up photography during lockdown, when she bought her first digital camera. Her rise has been pretty meteoric with a growing portfolio of clients across the food, interiors and lifestyle sectors, working for the likes of Carbis Bay Hotel, Rick Stein and Harbour Hotel Group.

Totally self-taught, Frankie’s work has attracted attention not just in Cornwall but out of county as well, with recent jobs for London establishments Cote Brasserie and Leith’s Cookery School.

Away from her day-to-day business, Frankie has established a networking group for creative freelancers –Inner Social Cornwall – and recently built a photography download platform - The Cornwall Download Store.

ELLIE TSWEI KRAV MAGA CORNWALL

Ellie Tswei has just led her selfdefence school, Krav Maga Cornwall, to its most successful year yet.

Krav Maga is an Israeli defence system translating as ‘contact combat’, established in the 1940s as a training scheme for the Israeli Defense Forces. Krav Maga Cornwall is currently the only school in Europe with the high level of teaching it offers and proudly holds Europe’s first black belt CT707.

Ellie’s mission is to create an accessible place to people to learn these life-preserving techniques “at their purest form” in an atmosphere that is empowering and encouraging.

Recent initiatives include delivering anti-bullying and selfdefence lessons to local schools, while its charity branch, Leo Cor Training, delivers outreach self-preservation lessons in high risk areas such as India and Nepal.

BEN CLEMENTS

FRANKIE THOMAS

EMMA NORTON ELLIE TSWEI

HARRY DENNIS WATERHAUL

Harry Dennis wanted to do something he felt he could make a real difference in, so in 2019 he quit his full-time job to found his social enterprise Waterhaul, on a mission to eradicate ‘ghost gear’ – abandoned fishing gear, the most harmful and abundant form of marine plastic.

And Harry has been hugely successful in this quest, creating eight new jobs and recovering over 12 tonnes of plastic from our beaches and recycling and transforming this waste into products which have generated over £1.5 million in revenue. This in turn has also led to a network of more than 200 retailers stocking Waterhaul’s recycled products globally. Recently, he started a pilot scheme in Ghana to expand Waterhaul’s impact beyond the UK.

FRAN ROWSE FRAN ROWSE

Fran Rowse is a 24-year old award winning photographer and curator, born and bred in Cornwall.

JAMES CAVANAGH-SHADDOCK TRURO & PENWITH COLLEGE

Since joining Truro & Penwith College a little over two years ago, James Cavanagh-Shaddock has become a recognised name and ‘go-to’ contact for hospitality businesses in the county looking for workforce development opportunities.

After joining as a project administrator for the ESF Business Clusters project, James has rapidly progressed to roles specialising in marketing, events, claims and compliance before ultimately securing his current role of project co-ordinator to manage the ESF Hospitality Table Cornwall project.

Her fashion photography and documentary style offers a window into the lives and dreams of women and girls in the south west. Situated between photography, workshops, speaking and curating, her work confronts social constraints, feminism and new contemporary ideas of Cornish culture.

After publishing her debut photobook ‘Maids’, she won multiple awards and started to champion Cornwall in a wider context. Always inspired by her homeland, she works on commissions and long-term projects with worldwide designers and clients, as well as ‘Maids’. Her work as a photographer, artist, curator, journalist and fashion casting director and producer is now leaving a mark further afield in Bristol, London and overseas.

James has been instrumental in the organisation and delivery of a number of high-profile project events including ‘Healthy Hospitality’ at the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Salon Cornwall showcase for the Hair and Beauty sector.

SAM CAIN VOICE COMMUNICATIONS

As PPC executive at Voice Communications, Sam Cain has been fundamental to the agency’s digital marketing success, building up its PPC offering and using his vast knowledge and skills to win new accounts, such as recently taking on managing all 50 PPC accounts for one client.

Although born in the UK, Sam was educated in Spain but they failed to pick up on the fact that he was neurodivergent and it was not until after his return to this country that he received a formal diagnosis for ADHD aged 22.

Sam has taken the time to understand himself and find the best ways to manage his time and created a presentation to educate the Voice team on ways they can support neurodivergent team members.

HARRY DENNIS

FRAN ROWSE JAMES CAVANAGH-SHADDOCK SAM CAIN

Congratulations to all those recognised in this magazine

I remember being under 30

I was ambitious, impatient, hungry to learn, keen to progress

More than 30 years later nothing has changed!

Whatever stage your career or business is at you have to keep learning

If you don’t then in this fast moving business world you risk being left behind

If there’s one business skill that helped me in my career it is presenting

It’s why I now focus on helping people at all stages of their business career become better, more confident and more successful presenters and speakers

Because a successful presentation or pitch can win you a game changing client, investor, promotion, new role

It can raise your profile, motivate your colleagues, inspire your board members and shareholders, impress your peers

So challenge yourself to become a better presenter - it will be worth it

If you need help as an individual or as a company to deliver better, more confident and more successful presentations, sales pitches and day to day client interactions then give me a call, message or email me or go to my website and book in a 15 minute Zoom call.

Good luck to all of you. I hope you have as much fun in your career as I have.

07785 390717

trevor@trevorjlee.com

trevorjlee.com

CHRISTIE HARVEY

VICKERY HOLMAN

“An exceptional young person” and “true team player”, Christie Harvey joined Vickery Holman in 2019 as a graduate surveyor and has rapidly risen through the ranks. She has qualified as a RICS chartered surveyor and registered valuer and last year was promoted to head of Truro general practice service, with responsibility for overseeing the performance and well-being of the Truro office team and ensuring local office profitability.

Christie is also Truro office Marketing Co-Ordinator and plays a key role in the office business development, organising and attending events, such as Cornwall Chamber BIG Breakfasts, on behalf of Vickery Holman.

TOM MARMOY

THE WAVE PROJECT

“I’m not sure, you would have to ask Tom,” is a daily utterance in The Wave Project office. In the three years Tom Marmoy has been with the surf therapy charity, he has become a “lynch pin”.

Following a recent promotion, Tom is leading the way with a marketing strategy which is pivotal in The Wave Project’s aim to reach 15,000 children every year by 2028.

And whether it is organising filming, supporting fundraising campaigns or being the go-to technical wizard for the entire organisation, Tom is always happy to help – “a true team player and we would be lost without him”.

ALEX RODDA

RODDA’S

It’s not just the Cornwall’s 30 under 30 judges who have been impressed with Alex Rodda’s track record. Last year he was named by industry bible, The Grocer, as one of the six best rising stars in the dairy industry. Alex’s accomplishments are too numerous to be mentioned here, but to give you a flavour he is responsible for managing national retailer and wholesaler accounts for the likes of Marks and Spencer, Ocado and Morrisons. He has also showcased Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream abroad with a trip to Japan and attended the Hankyu British Fair alongside brands such as Harrods and Fortnum and Masons.

CHLOE LINGARD TSAP TRAVEL

Falmouth University graduate Chloe Lingard founded her ‘voluntourism’ business, TSAP Travel, after spending five weeks in Madagascar, as a volunteer English teacher.

Her mission is to give back to the community, through increasing volunteer abroad opportunities for the young people across Cornwall,

Instead of profiting off communities in developing countries, Chloe wants to give back by upskilling. Her business is providing students and graduates the opportunity to collaborate with Malagasy locals to support the economic growth and employment opportunities in the region, with the aim of leaving a long-lasting legacy.

LEXIE WILLIAMS STEPHENS

SCOWN

“Undoubtedly one of the region’s brightest and best future lawyers”, Lexie Williams became the first solicitor apprentice in Cornwall in 2019 when she began her apprenticeship with Stephens Scown.

She is also highly involved in the Stephens Scown employee ownership community and was elected as a ‘Scowner’ Trustee in 2021 – meaning that she represents the views of her fellow employee owners to the Board.

Lexie often gives talks to schools and universities on alternative routes into law and has spoken at the Brighton College Professions Conference and at Exeter School on the importance of considering legal apprenticeships.

Outside of work, Lexie is a keen sportswoman and high-performance coach for the England Touch Rugby team, which she helped coach to victory in the European Touch Championships.

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LEXIE WILLIAMS

BETH PERKIN CORNISH SPLICED

Probably the youngest member of Cornwall’s 30 under 30 Class of 23. Beth Perkin started Cornish Spliced two years ago aged just 14 after asking her grandad Frank (a retired fisherman) to make her a dog lead from a piece of his old fishing rope using his heritage fishing skills of splicing.

From this one product, many others followed, all made from discarded fishing gear – preventing it from going to landfill/incineration or re-entering the sea, while supporting the circular economy.

Despite facing many challenges – not least of all busy schooling while undertaking her GCSEsbacked by grandad Frank, mum Rachel and auntie Helen, Beth has built Cornish Spliced over the past 18 months to a venture that is successful, gaining in reputation and sales.

ED SMIT HERE NOW FILMS

After graduating in marine biology from Falmouth University, rather than a career in science, Ed Smit opted to pursue a lifelong passion in film and set about creating a film studio that he hoped would one day give creatives from Falmouth something worth getting excited about.

ELLA DAVIS WILDANET

“A CEO of the future”, Ella Davis has been “an outstanding addition” for Wildanet, playing an active role in the rural broadband provider’s growth trajectory. She has helped set up the company’s sales team and marketing collateral and worked closely with the CEO on its successful rebrand.

Ella has also worked on the firm’s public affairs agenda, including helping to arrange an event with all the local MPs in Cornwall.

Over the past five years, together with co-founder Ollie Couch, Ed has built Here Now to become a truly national studio delivering work across the UK and abroad with all the editing and skills being fulfilled by creatives right here in Cornwall.

Clients include the likes of FatFace, AirBnB, Finisterre and RedBull TV, while Here Now Films also recently delivered a 30-minute documentary for BBC World to an audience of over 100 million.

All this hard work and initiative was recently recognised when Ella was promoted to propositions, insight and data manager at Wildanet, heading her own team.

JESSICA CROOK WHYFIELD

Described as a “trailblazer”, Jessica Crook is Whyfield through and through having originally joined the accountancy firm as its first-ever employee. From accounts assistant she has worked her way up, studying along the way, qualifying as an accountant and then being promoted to practice manager and, most recently, becoming shareholder.

Throughout her time at Whyfield, Jess has implemented many new processes and practises within the company, she’s been out and about networking in the business community and further growing Whyfield’s connections and clients.

She was instrumental in the roll-out of Whyfield’s four-day working week, and has helped build the team by 25% over the last 12 months. And it doesn’t stop there - Jess is currently studying to finish her CTA exams, making her a chartered accountant.

BETH PERKIN

ED SMIT JESSICA CROOK

ELLA DAVIS

What is NexGen?

Cornwall Chamber of Commerce launches NEXGEN to inspire young businesspeople to gain lifelong valuable connections within the Cornish business community.

Ways To Get Involved Partnership

With our vast global network, we will help you reach the people you want to be talking to - using our various tools, resources and contacts to fast track your event to success.

Speaker Opportunities

With slots available between 10-30 minutes, speakers have a unique opportunity to showcase, inspire, motivate, provide opportunity or share insight in their time - either individually or as part of a panel!

Promotion

Get yourself seen with our promotion package, which uses web, member to member newsletters, social media, presentations, networking and classic word of mouth to spread the word of our members and business partners!

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Under 30 - a celebration of the Duchy’s brightest young business talent

Congratulations to this year’s winners. If you missed the boat this year, please apply for next year’s 30 under 30. Applications will open January 2024.

BENJAMIN PECK THOUGHT QUARTER

Although his skillset “wasn’t in the right area”, Thought Quarter identified “great potential” in Benjamin Peck when joined the Pool-based software company in 2019. And that potential is now being fulfilled.

Last year, Benji stepped up and took on responsibility for some major projects for high-profile local clients, displaying a level of skill “way ahead of his age”, including building a bespoke ecommerce site for a leading timber merchant.

Outside of client work, Benji has been volunteering his time to open source projects. One such contribution earned him an honourable mention on a podcast with over 100,000 listeners.

MICHAEL WOODWARD GOONHILLY EARTH STATION

Having joined Goonhilly as one of its first graduate intake cohort, Michael Woodward has quickly become a key member of the Goonhilly Deep Space Communications team, taking a leadership role for new graduates entering the mission operations role.

During the major upgrade work to Goonhilly’s deep space antenna, Michael quickly got to grips with the wide range of tasks and activities needed to meet the exacting requirements of this European Space Agency project. This included learning the role whilst simultaneously developing and then documenting it.

JOE TURNBULL BULL & WOLF

Joe’s leadership at Penryn-based video production company Bull & Wolf has led to further growth this year, with the team expanding from four to seven and a 60% rise in sales.

Throughout the last year Joe has helped build a strong team of creatives, who have recently gone on to win two awards at the 2023 AVA Digital Awards.

A regular on the business speaker circuit, Joe was recently invited to participate in BBC’s Share Your Story, a roadshow talking to students about careers in the creative sector. Joe champions doing business in a better way and to this effort Bull & Wolf is a certified Living Wage Foundation Employer and currently in the verification stage for B-Corp certification.

SOPHIE CURTIS THE GREENBANK HOTEL

“A true perfectionist”, Sophie Curtis works full time for sister hotels The Alverton and The Greenbank as assistant marketing manager, while also studying her Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma.

From PR campaigns to design projects and events promotion, and from liaising with freelancers to creating a busy monthly schedule of email marketing for both hotels, Sophie delivers all aspects of her role “meticulously, speedily, and creatively”.

She has helped drive an 82% rise in website traffic across the hotels’ websites and is also currently assisting a new website project for The Greenbank, which will launch this summer.

JOE TURNBULL

GEORGE FRENCH CITIZENS ADVICE CORNWALL

Despite being diagnosed with a long-term health condition aged 15 and being told it was unlikely she should ever be well enough to work, George French has shown great determination in forging a successful career.

Over the past seven years, she has worked her way up the ladder at leading charity Citizens Advice Cornwall to become a valued member of the senior management team. Since her appointment last year as HR Manager of an organisation with more than 140 staff and volunteers, George has further developed HR policies, procedures and Governance in order to ensure Citizens Advice Cornwall’s organisational strategy is more robust than ever.

ALICE HARPER HARPER’S HEALTH

Nutritionist Alice Harper is on a mission to help people achieve a healthier diet and lifestyle, in a world dominated by fast and convenience foods. To do this she has developed a wholefood snack range – Tempiii – as a healthy alternative to other savoury snacks on the market such as crisps and pasties etc.

It is still very much early days for this fledgling business, but with a working viable product, proof of market and a website up and running, exciting times lie ahead. With no previous industry experience behind her, it has been a steep learning curve. “It has been the most difficult but rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” Alice says.

SAMUEL DAVIES ATLAS FILM

Documentary filmmaker, fervent surfer, and founder of Newquay-based production company Atlas, Samuel Davies is passionate about telling intimate stories that “resonate on an epic scale”.

Atlas was born from a flourishing portfolio and a passion to succeed client expectations. The company owns state of the art digital cinema cameras and works alongside a network of international filmmakers.

Samuel has directed and produced more than 150 films (documentary and commercial) for global brands, including BBC Earth, Red Bull Media House, Cisco and Nike.

He has travelled the world for his craft, often working in some of the world’s most hostile environments, including sleeping under the stars in the Wadi Rum desert and filming in 50 degree heat for a five-day ultra marathon.

ABIGAIL LUGG

GENUS ABS

Abi Lugg has been in and around farming and agriculture most of her life. Since a small child, she spent time with the family herd of traditional breed pigs and is an accomplished pig keeper.

Chair of the Threemilestone branch of the Young Farmers Club, Abi trained as an AI (artificial insemination) technician with Genus ABS and has become one of its top performers, working with cows in all weather and maximising pregnancy production, milk and profit. In her spare time, she relief milks on several local farms.

When not on a farm, Abi can often be found behind the wheel of a huge truck. As a child, she spent time with a family friend who was a livestock haulier and decided at an early age to drive lorries and has passed her Class 1 test to drive artics.

REUBEN HOLMES

POCKETFUL OF STONES

Reuben joined Pocketful of Stones team a couple of years ago as its tour and tasting guy on a Saturday. But the independent distillery quickly recognised his passion and creativity and today he is a valuable part of the production team, creating new products regularly.

Reuben has proven himself capable of anything that has been asked of him, whether it being a technical question to help the distillery or coming up with a cocktail menu to help a specific customer.

Reuben has fast become a senior member of the distillery team by giving his input into new recipes and always thinks outside of the box.

ALICE

HARPER