Sir Tim Smit

Creator of The Eden Project, Tim Smit is a formidable businessman unafraid to take risks for impressive rewards throughout his career. With many of his ventures focused around his home in Cornwall, he has proven there is opportunity on your doorstep with his entrepreneurial spirit. Traveling the country as a speaker, he aims to inspire the next generation of business moguls, encourage entrepreneurship and educate corporate clients in the value of risk and reward.

Best known as the founder of Cornwall’s Eden Project, Tim Smit’s innovative creation was designed as an educational tool on environmental issues. The pair of biomes containing two opposite eco systems, mediterranean and rainforest, has contributed over one billion pounds to the Cornish industry and has been named as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’. Tim Smit continues to be the Director of the Eden Project and drives it’s success as a global attraction and award winning captivated garden.

A passionate advocate of the environment, Tim Smit has completed a number of other ventures, including the Lost Gardens of Heligan. The garden has been restored with Tim Smit’s investment and is now one of the most popular gardens for visitors in the UK, with a dedicated book written by Smit on the project. Another of Tim Smit’s recent business ventures is The Shipwreck Centre, which he bought in 2016 motivated by the need to protect the heritage of the port it sits in. Making business decisions driven by a passion for preservation and valued causes, is what has made Smit such a successful businessman.

Coming from the poverty line to being the director of a number of multi million pound businesses is no easy feat, and not reached without a level of risk. Tim Smit credits his success to his entrepreneurial spirit, measured risk and ethical practices, all areas he discusses at events across the country. In his role as a Social Enterprise Ambassador he teaches others the foundations on which he built his businesses, in order to inspire them to replicate his success.

A leading authority on business, environment, social issues and tourism, Tim Smit is a seasoned speaker at many events across the country, due to his vast knowledge in an array of sectors. At events he is down to earth and gives audiences an insight into the makings of a successful venture and the characteristics required in order to achieve.

In April 2024 Sir Tim Smit conducted a Keynote Speech discussing the future of our planet and the importance of evolving and changing with the times. Watch the full Keynote Speech from Sir Tim Smit here.