Eight companies shortlisted across two categories at Irish Times Business Awards

Eight companies have been shortlisted for two key awards for the annual Irish Times Business Awards, which are being held next month in association with Bank of Ireland.

In Deal of the Year, transactions involving CRH, Hibernia Reit, Horizon Therapeutics and Global Shares have been shortlisted.

In February of last year, building materials giant CRH said it had agreed to sell its North American glass building products unit, Oldcastle Building Envelope, in a deal worth a higher-than-expected $3.8 billion (€3.4 billion) to KPS Capital Partners. This helped to give the Irish company the headroom to invest $3 billion on 21 acquisitions last year, the largest being the $1.9 billion purchase of US residential fencing and railing company Barrette Outdoor Living in July.

In the middle of last year, Hibernia Reit, then the State’s largest office landlord, formally delisted from the Irish stock market following its €1.1 billion takeover by Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management. This equated to a near 36 per cent premium to its last closing price before the offer was made in March 2022.

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In December, Horizon Therapeutics, a Dublin-headquartered rare disease drug specialist, agreed a deal for $28.3 billion, including debt, that will see it acquired by US biotech Amgen. It was the biggest pharma deal of the year and the fifth largest across all sectors.

Last March, banking giant JP Morgan confirmed a deal to acquire Clonakilty-based fintech Global Shares in a move worth $730 million (€665 million), making it one of the largest exits by an Irish fintech.

For Local Enterprise of the Year, tech company Provizio, spirits maker Teeling Whiskey, AI group HoloToyz, and ATA have been shortlisted.

Provizio recently debuted its safety technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Limerick-based company has developed a radar-backed system, 5D Perception, that is designed to make driving safer and also facilitate autonomous driving. It is now working with partners in the industry to bring the technology to mass production by 2025.

It was another year of growth for Teeling Whiskey, which celebrated its 10th birthday in 2022 and bounced back from Covid restrictions. The company was expecting to post revenue of €23 million for the year, up from just under €20 million in 2021, and to sell about 1.5 million bottles of the spirit, up from 1.35 million in the previous year and double the output of five years previously.

HoloToyz manufactures augmented reality products for children. It creates children’s books, wall decals, temporary tattoos and stickers which, when scanned with its app, come to life in audio-supported 3D animation. The company won the manufacturing and design category at the recent Irish Times Innovation awards.

In December, Cavan-based precision tool-maker ATA acquired businesses in the Netherlands and Britain, in moves that will take its annual revenues to about €100 million and its group employee numbers to 500. The Irish company acquired Dutch manufacturer Van Hoorn Carbide and Industrial Tooling Corporation in Tamworth, England. The businesses add about €25 million to ATA’s annual turnover.

The Irish Times Business Awards, in association with Bank of Ireland, will be held in the Round Room at the Mansion House on February 2nd.