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News
Thursday, 9 November 2006
The Passion and Pride of Somerset in Business
Passion, pride and a can do attitude: the message delivered by Kriss Akabusi to the Somerset in Business 2006 conference.
Speaking to delegates at Bath and West show-ground near Shepton Mallet, the world champion athlete used parts of his life story in a highly animated and amusing key note speech to press home his message to Somerset business and community leaders.
Quoting fellow athlete Roger Black, Kriss said: “You never step in the same river twice – it flows on.”
He continued: “Everything and everyone must adapt or die. I had to find a new way of being me. Nothing in life that’s worth doing comes easy.”
Turning round a well known quotation he said: “If at first you don’t fail – you will never know success.”
Using film of the Olympic Gold Medal winning relay team as an example Kriss said: “The team is the whole. You as individuals and as a group are the team, the team that will decide the future of Somerset .”
Richard Wilson, communications director at the Royal Academy of Engineering, spoke of the vital importance of education and skills for successful enterprise. While critical of the endless waves of new Government initiatives on Education, he said communities need to take local responsibility for education and training.
Dr Wilson said: “Across Britain only 5% of organisations have Investor in People accreditation and one third of businesses provide no significant training for their staff”.
Quoting Napoleon he said: “Never interrupt an opponent while he is making mistakes,” and added: “But we must learn from other people’s mistakes and failures.”
The debate that occupied the second half of the conference ranged from the urgent need for 
improvements to the A 303 and A 358, through the need for a University of Somerset . There were also calls for the people and businesses of Somerset to talk up their county and emphasise the positive with passion and pride mentioned by Kriss.
Following the conference, delegates visited the co-sited Skills Somerset exhibition designed to demonstrate the career opportunities that already exist for young people in the county.
Both events were promoted by the Somerset Strategic Partnership. Their spokesman Richard Storey said: “One of our principal aims is to improve the quality of life in Somerset . To do that we need a strong economy and this conference ` has shown the need to nurture our local organisations to encourage the further development of talent and enterprise”.