Business

Shortlists of entrepreneurs and companies announced for two categories at The Irish Times Business Awards

The candidates shortlisted for Deal of the Year and Future Leader have been announced for the awards, which are run in association with Bank of Ireland

Tim Houstoun of Global Shares, receives the Deal of the Year award in February 2022 from Cathriona Hallahan, then chair of the judging panel, at the Irish Times Business Awards, held in association with Bank of Ireland. Photograph: Conor McCabe Photography

Mon Jan 15 2024 - 06:00

Entrepreneur Terry Clune, former Irish Olympian Derval O’Rourke, Monaghan businessman Sam Moffett and packaging giant Smurfit Kappa are among those shortlisted for two awards for The Irish Times Business Awards, which are run in association with Bank of Ireland.

In the Deal of the Year category, four transactions have been shortlisted.

In June, it emerged that technology entrepreneur Terry Clune was in line for a big pay-day after his CluneTech group agreed to sell payroll software developer Immedis to US multinational UKG in a deal worth €575 million.

In August, French insurance giant Axa agreed to buy Laya Healthcare, the Republic’s second-largest health insurer, from a unit of US rival AIG, in a deal worth €650 million.

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In September, Smurfit Kappa announced a merger deal with US peer WestRock. The planned tie-up, which is subject to various approvals, will create Smurfit WestRock, the world’s biggest packaging group with $34 billion (€31 billion) of annual revenues.

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In December, it emerged that Japanese giant SoftBank had paid €473 million for a controlling stake in Irish tech company Cubic Telecom. Existing shareholders, including founder Barry Napier, all sold a portion of their stakes but will remain as shareholders in the business.

In the Future Leader category, sponsored by EirGrid, four candidates have been shortlisted.

Monaghan-based Sam Moffett founded Moffett Automated Storage in 2017 and it now employs 65 people, and specialises in providing automated pallet storage and warehousing solutions for clients. Mr Moffett won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award last year and has a stated ambition to build the business into a billion-dollar company.

A new workplace wellbeing platform cofounded by Irish Olympian Derval O’Rourke raised €200,000 from Enterprise Ireland as part of a seed funding round to help bring her new business Saol to an international market. Founded by Ms O’Rourke and business partner Greg O’Gorman, Saol aims to create 26 jobs over the next two years.

Galway-based Genicity has developed a cancer treatment platform to deliver a safe, affordable and off-the-shelf allogeneic cell therapy. Founded by two doctors, Muhammad Yassin and Muneer Sawaied, Genicity won the life sciences category at The Irish Times Innovation Awards last year.

Fashion designer Aoife McNamara set up her company, also called Aoife McNamara, in 2019 to “push boundaries in the fashion industry and reimagine what sustainable design looks like”. Based in Adare, Co. Limerick, Aoife McNamara creates “sustainable collections driven by innovative practices and inspired by Ireland’s wild beauty”.

The winners of these awards will be announced at a ceremony will be held on February 22nd in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin.

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