Practicus CEO Addresses Top UK Entrepreneurs

Jason Luckhurst, CEO of interim management and services provider Practicus, recently addressed representatives of the UK’s most successful businesses at a charity dinner that raised £210,000 for young entrepreneurs.  Host Sir Richard Branson invited Luckhurst to give an account of his trip to South Africa to see the work of the Branson School of Entrepreneurship and to explain the ‘life-changing’ experience he had in meeting many of the young businessmen and women that the school, supported by charity Virgin Unite, had helped.

The awards dinner, in association with Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track, was held at Sir Richard’s Oxfordshire home last Wednesday to mark the success of the top 100 fast growth companies in the UK and to raise money for Virgin Unite. One of the key highlights of the evening was the chance to bid for the opportunity to join Sir Richard on a trip to South Africa to visit the school and to see the other projects supported by Virgin Unite. Luckhurst and the two Practicus co-founders were amongst a handful of people who had won the bidding last year, an experience that Luckhurst admits was a ‘chance in a lifetime’.

He commented, “The reason I am such a keen supporter of the Branson School of Entrepreneurship is that it focuses on sustainability and giving people the experience they need to build businesses that directly benefit their communities. Virgin Unite are so effective because they genuinely look to achieve long term benefits through their initiatives rather than short term quick wins.”

Over the years, Fast Track award winners have raised over £1.2 million for the school which helps young South Africans develop the skills needed to start up and run their own businesses.