A Blaenau Ffestiniog woman who overcame cancer eight years ago has been promoted to the top job at a consultancy company that has trebled in size in two years.

Since Zoe Pritchard joined business consultancy Lafan, staff numbers have risen from four to 12 and there has been a 300 per cent increase in turnover.

Initially Lafan Lead Consultant, the mother-of-two is now Chief Executive Officer. Her predecessor and company co-founder, Geraint Hughes, is Chairman.

The former Ysgol y Moelwyn Head Girl graduated in International Politics and Welsh at Aberystwyth University, worked briefly at Gwynedd Council, then Menter Môn enterprise agency for 13 years before joining Lafan in 2022.

But eight years ago she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, an aggressive cancer that affects the lymphatic system.

Thankfully, following chemotherapy at Bangor’s Ysbyty Gwynedd, she is now fully recovered.

She said: “It was a difficult time because my eldest daughter was only eight months old.

“I am absolutely fine now but having cancer gave me a whole new perspective and made me realise how precious life is.

“The way I think about things now has changed. It’s important to be happy in your work and make a real and positive difference to people’s lives so we can leave some kind of legacy.”

According to Zoe, helping people sort problems and making a positive difference to their lives had been a theme throughout her career.

She said: “This is what’s always driven me and given me job satisfaction and made me feel that I am doing something worthwhile – rather than just conducting a paper exercise.

“And that’s why I was so keen to join Lafan in the first place – our values and vision are perfectly aligned because we want to make where we live a better place.

“The community projects I lead on are part of that jigsaw in generating employment and prosperity with greater opportunities for our young people.

“The changes in technology and attitudes mean people – me included – are increasingly able to live and work from their own communities instead of having to commute or move away permanently.

“There are time when you have to travel but most smaller meetings can be done online.

“Enabling people to stay in their own communities is incredibly important in terms of the Welsh language and will help stem the tide of rural depopulation.

“The growth we have enjoyed means we have team members across Wales and can offer a huge range of expertise in different areas.

“We can run projects, can evaluate them, provide advice and guidance on specific topics, analyse data, conduct workshops to build skills and organising events.

“Essentially, our aim is to support our client to achieve as much as they possibly can, and the expanded team means that we are now a one-stop shop.

“Our message to clients is they don’t have to be experts at everything and it is okay to outsource certain things so they can concentrate on what they are good at. It can save them time and money.