A group of 150 Irish entrepreneurs travelled to Toronto, Canada, over the weekend for a week of executive education as part of the annual EY Ireland Entrepreneur of the Year (EoY) retreat.
The group, comprising the 31 finalists in this year’s EoY competition as well as alumni of the programme, will participate in a series of discussions, leadership development sessions and other activities designed to give them a sample of Canada’s business environment.
Representatives of programme sponsors, Enterprise Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland and Julius Baer International have also travelled with the group, along with members of the judging panel, chaired by Portwest chief executive Harry Hughes.
Over the course of the week, the finalists and alumni will hear from executives from Microsoft Canada and visit the software giant’s local hub. They will also attend leadership sessions at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and visit the Toronto Stock Exchange.
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“The CEO retreat is one of the most important and impactful elements of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme,” said Roger Wallace, head of assurance and EY Entrepreneur of the Year Ireland.
“Each year, we bring together a group of exceptional entrepreneurs and provide them with the opportunity to step away from their day-to-day businesses, broaden their perspective and build meaningful, lasting connections.”
This year’s retreat is taking place against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical and trade uncertainty.
Last year, the Ireland-Canada Business Association urged the Irish Government to prioritise its relationship with Ottawa after the unveiling of US president Donald Trump’s so-called liberation day tariffs.
“Toronto is a world-class business city, known for its leadership in financial services, technology and innovation,” Wallace said. “It offers our entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to engage with global leaders, explore new markets and deepen their understanding of one of the most dynamic economies in North America.”
The retreat is a cornerstone of the nine-month-long EoY programme, which culminates in an awards ceremony in late November.
A winner will be selected in each of the three categories – emerging, established and international – with the overall winner selected from among the three category winners.
This year, the finalists in the emerging category are: Aoife Matthews, Jennifer O’Connell and Louise O’Riordan of Sisterly; Bobby Healy of Manna Air Delivery; Brian Shields of Neurent Medical; Danny Buckley of ADHDNow; Dr Harriet Treacy of Beyondbmi; Jennifer Rock of Skingredients Ltd; Laura McCarthy of Drink Botanicals Ireland; and Liam Kearney of The Revive Group.
Competing in the established category are: Tommy Kearns of Xtremepush; John Corley of Spanish Point Technologies; John Lunn of Lunn’s; Karl Zimmerer of Glanua; Oltian Dervishi of Forte Pespa; Paul Vallely and Clare Walsh of Kukoon; Robin Jones of Golden Bake; and Trevor Casey of EPH Controls.
The international finalists are: Brian Moloney of StormHarvester; Chris Horgan of Dexgreen; David Brennan of Eastgate Engineering; Dermot O’Shea of Taoglas; Ian Morgan and Sanjay Abraham of Xpress Health; Máire Claire Reid of TST Group; Paul, Gary and Mike Martin of Martin Group; and Ronan and Conor Burke of Inscribe.
