Offaly-based Donnacha Hurley among EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ finalists
The 24 finalists of the 2019 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme have been revealed today. Collectively, the finalists employ more than 13,000 people and generate annual revenues of almost €1.2bn. The finalists will compete across three categories – Emerging, Industry and International, with one winner being named The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2019.
The 24 finalists have been shortlisted from more than 120 nominations by an independent judging panel of previous winners, chaired by Anne Heraty, CEO of CPL Resources Plc, and winner of the 2006 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ award. This year’s shortlist includes Offaly-based entrepreneur Donnacha Hurley, Motor Mania Limited. He follows in the footsteps of well-known Offaly business people Vincent and Gerard Cleary, Glenisk, who were finalists in 2014.
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2019 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ shortlist
Pictured at the announcement of the 2019 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ shortlist are Anne Heraty, and Kevin McLoughlin, EY Cpl Resources and Chair of the judging panel. This year’s 24 finalists employ more than 13,000 people and have combined revenues of almost €1.2bn.
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Anne Heraty, CEO of CPL Resources Plc, and Chair of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ judging panel commented: “As with every year, the standard of nominees has been incredibly strong. The judging panel always has a very tough job trying to reach a shortlist of 24 finalists but it is fantastic to see a wide range of different industries represented. I am proud to be able to play a part in recognising the brave entrepreneurs who are creating employment across the island. It’s wonderful to see so many thriving companies driven by entrepreneurs who are boldly pushing themselves and the teams to the forefront of their industries. This year’s finalists are at the start of what will be a very exciting journey, not just this year but as they become part of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ community. I’d like to wish them the very best at the beginning of an unforgettable journey through the programme and beyond.’’
The 2019 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ finalists are:
| Emerging | Industry | International |
| Sonia Deasy, Pestle & Mortar | Pat McDonagh, Supermac’s Holdings | Andrew Day, Keywords Studios |
| James and Timothy McElroy, HouseMyDog | Matt Ryan, Press Up Entertainment Group | Richard Kennedy, Devenish |
| Tom Cronin, Rye River Brewing Company | Peter and Una Kearns, The Institute of Education | Paul McKenna, mac-group |
| Mervyn O’Callaghan and Simon Murray, Provision Vehicle Cameras | Donnacha Hurley, Motor Mania Limited | Lily Holmes, PB Machine Tech |
| Ian Nolan and Alex Kelly, Brightflag | Mark Whitaker, Johnson & Perrott Motor Group | Philip Noone, Aalto Bio |
| Triona Mullane, mAdme Technologies | Ashley McCulla, McCulla (Ireland) Ltd. | Brian Leslie, Seaquest Systems |
| John Mullins, Amarenco Solar | Laurence O’Kane, IMED Healthcare | Lulu O’Sullivan, GiftsDirect.com/TheIrishStore.com |
| Mark Dowds, Trov | Patrick Derry, DRT (NI) LTD | Shane Evans, Scrapinghub |
Commenting on the announcement, Kevin McLoughlin, Partner Lead for the EY Entrepreneur of The Year™ programme said: “2019 has been an incredibly competitive year for nominees. The judges have arrived at an exceptional list of finalists. This year, our shortlist has everything from fast food to energy, with many of the entrepreneurs representing businesses that are household names. Cutting-edge technology businesses are prominent again this year, alongside a strong mix of more traditional businesses. The standard of the finalists this year is reflective of a very healthy entrepreneurial community on the island of Ireland. These entrepreneurs are the ones bravely taking risks to drive innovation and create employment in every town and village across the island, something EY has been very proud to be able to directly support over the last 22 years through EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™. I am looking forward to getting to know this year’s finalists as they become part of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year community.”
Now in its 22nd year, the programme has established itself as a world-class development programme that supports, promotes, and connects a prodigious community of entrepreneurs, championing entrepreneurship throughout the island of Ireland and around the world. Since its inception, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ community has grown to a network of more than 500 alumni who harness each other’s wealth of experience, with 77% now doing business with one another.
This year’s finalists will join more than 60 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ alumni for a week of executive education and exclusive corporate insights in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macau in May. The CEO Retreat is the island’s largest unofficial trade mission, specifically focused on fostering entrepreneurship. The retreat will focus on developing the entrepreneurs, and facilitating an environment for networking and problem-solving.
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme is supported by Premium Corporate Sponsor Julius Baer International, and Government sponsors Enterprise Ireland and Invest NI. For further information, please visit www.eoy.ie.
The 2019 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ finalists are:
Emerging Category
- Mark Dowds, Trov, Antrim
- John Mullins, Amarenco Solar, Cork
- Tom Cronin, Rye River Brewing Company, Kildare
- Mervyn O’Callaghan and Simon Murray, Provision Vehicle Cameras, Dublin
- Sonia Deasy, Pestle & Mortar, Kildare
- Ian Nolan and Alex Kelly, Brightflag, Dublin
- Triona Mullane, mAdMe Technologies, Dublin
- James and Timothy McElroy, HouseMyDog, Dublin
Industry Category
- Matt Ryan, Press Up Entertainment Group, Dublin
- Pat McDonagh, Supermac’s Holdings, Galway
- Mark Whitaker, Johnson & Perrott Motor Group, Cork
- Patrick Derry, DRT (NI) LTD, Armagh
- Peter and Una Kearns, The Institute of Education, Dublin
- Ashley McCulla, McCulla (Ireland) Ltd., Antrim
- Laurence O’Kane, IMED Healthcare, Derry
- Donnacha Hurley, Motor Mania Limited., Offaly
International Category
- Richard Kennedy, Devenish, Antrim
- Andrew Day, Keywords Studios, Dublin
- Lily Holmes, PB Machine Tech, Carlow
- Paul McKenna, mac-group, Dublin
- Philip Noone, Aalto Bio, Dublin
- Shane Evans, Scrapinghub, Cork
- Brian Leslie, Seaquest Systems, Donegal
- Lulu O’Sullivan, GiftsDirect.com/TheIrishStore.com, Dublin
ABOUT EY ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR™
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme is a global recognition programme run in 145 cities in more than 60 countries. Currently in its 22nd year, the programme works to recognise, promote and build a supportive community around Ireland’s high-growth entrepreneurs and is considered one of the strongest programmes globally.
This year’s finalists will be announced on 23 April 2019. Over a 10-month period, the 24 selected finalists will engage in a strategic programme of activities geared towards accelerating their professional growth and development. This year’s programme includes the CEO Retreat, executive education, tailored business consultations, networking events and extensive media profiling. The winner will be announced at the prestigious awards Gala held in Dublin in November 2019.
The country winners of the EY Entrepreneur Of the Year™ programme from around the globe will go on to compete for the coveted title of EY World Entrepreneur Of the Year™ at the global awards ceremony held in June 2019. The 2018 winners of the Irish EY Entrepreneur Of the Year™ programme, Daniel Mackey and Peter Coppinger of Teamwork will represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards in June 2019.
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