Business

Nominations open for 2024 EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme

EY has put out the call for business ‘trailblazers’ across the island of Ireland

Roger Wallace, partner lead for EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Sam Moffett, managing director and founder of Moffett Automated Storage Ltd, Eimear McCrann, director, EY Entrepreneur of the Year at the launch of the 2024 orogramme. Photograph: Naoise Culhane

Ellen O’Regan
Thu Jan 18 2024 - 05:00

EY has put out the call for business “trailblazers” across the island of Ireland, as nominations for the 2024 EY Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) programme are now open.

Entrepreneurs from businesses operating across all industry sectors from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are invited to submit their nominations between today and Feb 29th 2024.

The awards programme is divided into three categories – emerging, established and international businesses – with eight finalists chosen per category.

The 24 finalists will engage in a 10-month strategic growth programme, including executive education sessions, networking forums, media profiling, as well as joining the EOY alumni community of more than 600 entrepreneurs.

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The programme also includes a week-long CEO Retreat where they will join a group of more than 100 previous finalists and winners of the programme, and meet a range of world-class entrepreneurs, business people and academics.

The theme for this year’s programme is The Trailblazers, as EY seeks its next shortlist of entrepreneurs “with the courage and capacity to plot and follow their own path, pushing conventional boundaries and limits”.

The programme culminates in the annual gala awards ceremony in November, where three category winners will be announced, as well as a sustainability award for one finalist, and the overall Entrepreneur of the Year award.

The overall winner will go on to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards the following June.

Roger Wallace, partner lead for EOY Ireland, said that now in its 27th year, the programme exists to “acclaim, drive, and inspire entrepreneurship across our island”.

“Irish entrepreneurs continue to have a disproportionate global impact, reflecting an international scaling mindset and innate capacity to grow and succeed across borders and cultures,” he said, adding that EY is encouraging nominations from entrepreneurs of “all ages and from all industries and locations”.

The 24 finalists will be selected by an independent judging panel of former winners, chaired by Harry Hughes, chief executive of Portwest, who takes over the role from Anne Heraty chief executive of CPL Resources plc.

“We know that across the island of Ireland there are many brilliant, pioneering entrepreneurs who are achieving incredible success and I want to encourage them to take the opportunity to submit their nominations for this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme,” said Mr Hughes.

For more information or to complete the online nomination form, visit www.eoy.ie. Those nominating someone else must do so with the entrepreneur’s consent.

The EOY programme is supported by premium corporate sponsor Julius Baer International, and Government sponsors Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland.

Ellen O'Regan

Ellen O’Regan

Ellen O’Regan is an Irish Times journalist.

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