The successful finalists will have the opportunity to connect, learn and do business with the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ alumni network, which consists of almost 500 of Ireland’s most successful business people. The finalists will get an opportunity to participate in the renowned international CEO Retreat which is designed to help Irish entrepreneurs transform their thinking and vision through executive education. They will also gain significant profiling, nationally and internationally.
Kevin McLoughlin, Partner Lead for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland said: “I am delighted to launch the 2018 EOY programme, which I am incredibly proud to say is in its 21st year. This is more than just an awards programme and the benefits of participation extend far beyond October 2018. The theme of this year’s programme is “Ambition” and at EY we see it as our responsibility to challenge our 2018 Finalists and EOY Alumni to re-assess their vision and goals, helping them to discover unimagined depths to their ability, and set new, more ambitious targets. If we are to continue establishing our path in a new world, we must continue to be bold, forward-thinking and innovative pioneers of ambition.”
Who can be nominated?
Operating in more than 60 countries worldwide, EOY is recognised as the most prestigious business accolade for entrepreneurs. The programme is open to entrepreneurs across all sectors on the island of Ireland. The awards programme is divided into three categories – Emerging, Industry and International – with 8 finalists chosen per category. The 24 finalists will be selected by an independent panel of judges, comprised of former EOY winners and chaired by Anne Heraty of CPL Resources plc. Individuals who wish to put themselves forward or nominate an entrepreneur with their consent, can fill out the online nomination form at www.eoy.ie or call the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ team for further information at eoy@ie.ey.com. The deadline for nominations is Friday, 16 February 2018.
Speaking at the launch, CEO of CPL Resources plc, Chairperson of the judging panel, and winner of the EOY programme in 2006, Anne Heraty said: “Each year I look forward to the launch of EOY and seeing the exciting new entrepreneurs that we will welcome into our Alumni community. It has been interesting to see the number of new industries emerging over the past few years, with an increasing focus on the global market, a trend that will no doubt continue this year. I expect to see the calibre of finalists increase once again in 2018, as we challenge them to improve and push their ambitions beyond what they would usually aim for.”
Last year saw a strong mix of male and female finalists across eight different sectors who collectively employed over 5,200 people and generated revenues of almost half a billion euro in 2017. There was six Northern Irish finalists selected: Patrick McAliskey, Novosco Limited; Gary and Andrew Irwin, Bedeck Limited; Patrick McCann, Simplyfruit Limited; Trevor Annon, The Mount Charles Group; Darragh Cullen, Edge Innovate (NI) Limited and Brendan Monaghan, Neueda. Harry Hughes, of Portwest emerged as the overall winner at the 2017 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards and will go on to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards in Monaco in June. Evelyn O’Toole, of CLS took top prize in the Industry category, while Jack Teeling from The Teeling Whiskey Company won top prize in the Emerging category.
Kevin McLoughlin said: “The diversity of participants in terms of industry, gender and location continues to grow each year. This is something we are very proud of. In 2017 30% of our finalists were female, fantastic role models for any young aspiring entrepreneur. I would strongly urge entrepreneurs across all industries and backgrounds, particularly female entrepreneurs, to nominate themselves this year to reflect the wide range of talent here on the island of Ireland.”
What finalists can expect
The finalists will engage in a strategic growth programme over a 10-month period which includes a week-long CEO Retreat. As part of this international retreat, this year’s 24 finalists will join a group of more than 100 entrepreneurs, all previous finalists and winners of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme, and meet CEOs and entrepreneurs from some of the world’s biggest multinational companies.
The programme will include executive education sessions, the annual Gala Awards Dinner, significant media profiling and many additional finalist benefits. An award is presented for each category, and an overall winner is announced as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards in October. That person will go on to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ awards in Monaco in June 2019.
Judging Panel chair Anne Heraty of CPL Resources with EY Partner Kevin McLoughlin
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