Alltech founder to be awarded RDS Gold Medal

Alltech founder and president Pearse Lyons will this week be awarded the RDS Gold Medal for his contribution to Irish business.

Dr Lyons will join an impressive list of Irish and international business people who have previously received the Gold Medal for Industry and Commerce including Sir Anthony O'Reilly, Peter Sutherland, Michael Smurfit, Craig Barrett, and Martin Naughton.

A native of Co Louth, but based in the United States, Dr Lyons founded Alltech in 1980 with an initial investment of $10,000, and has seen the company grow to annual sales exceeding €500 million.

The business is currently one of the top 10 animal health and nutrition companies in the world, employing more than 2,600 people. Alltech is hosting eight international events in Ireland this year, welcoming more than 3,000 additional overseas visitors as part of the Gathering.

Alltech Global 500
The company's largest beef and dairy cow conference, Alltech Global 500, will take place this week in the RDS, drawing more than 700 farmers from across the world. "As a proud Irishman I am going to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the Gathering … I do this because, like any Irish person who works abroad, I am intensely proud of my home, of its unique identity and its rich history, but most of all, I am proud of its people and of what we have, and still can, achieve," Dr Lyons said.