Frank O'Keeffe, partner in charge of the EoY programme, with Liam Kavanagh, Irish Times; Terri O'Donnell, Invest NI and Tom Hayes, Enterprise Ireland
Entrepreneurs with a remarkable story to tell and a track record to match are being encouraged to enter the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, which is making its final call for nominations.
The closing date for nominations for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award is this Friday.
The awards have been running for 15 years now and last year the Ernst & young Entrepreneur of the Year alumni generated in excess of €15bn in revenue and experienced an average growth rate of 30pc last year.
The 2012 finalists collectively generated revenue of almost €600m and grew at an average rate of 51pc last year.
The lucky 24 entrepreneurs short-listed for the 2013 competition will be named in early May and will be whisked off to CEO retreats in Chicago and New York.
The shortlist will be selected by a panel of judges chaired by Aer Arann chairman Padraid O’Ceidigh. The final awards will be televised on RTÉ in October.
New frontiers
Entries for the 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year can be directed at three categories – Emerging, Industry and International.
“This year, we want entrepreneurs from across the island of Ireland to truly test their horizons,” said Frank O’Keefe, the Ernst & Young partner in charge of the programme.
“Even in these most challenging times, entrepreneurs are constantly looking for opportunities to grow through innovation and technology, and it is their unparallelled vision and capacity to adapt to the ever-changing global business environment that continues to drive economic recovery, create jobs for the region and boost investor and consumer confidence going forward.”
