Ten Dublin based entrepreneurs will compete for the prestigious 2020 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards on 12th November. These ten will compete against 24 finalists from across the island of Ireland within three categories – Emerging, Industry and International – and one overall winner will be selected as The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2020 in November. The 24 finalists were shortlisted from more than 100 nominations by an independent judging panel of previous winners, chaired by Anne Heraty, CEO of CPL Resources Plc, and EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2006. They follow in the footsteps of well-known Dublin businesspeople Peter and Una Kearns; Institute of Education who were EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ finalists in 2019.
One of the finalists is Paul and and Neil Fitzgibbon of Ard Ri Group who have a base in Clondalkin. Paul and Neill Fitzgibbon, Ard Ri Group – an international manufacturer and distributor of quality affordable homeware products whose 680 strong team across Ireland, the UK and Asia help us to deliver top class customer service to a trusted network of over 1200 retailers across Ireland and the UK.
· Devon Hughes, Buymie – founded in 2016 is a same day grocery delivery platform, allowing users to order grocery and household items from large retailers like Lidl and Tesco, having their full basket delivered ‘store to door’ in as little as an hour, by their very own personal shopper.
· Ríona Ní Ghriallais & Conor Harkin, ProVerum – founded in 2016, it is an early stage medical device company developing an innovative medical device technology to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
· Gary Wickham, MaGrow – Founded in 2013, MagGrow has developed a patented, proprietary technology that significantly reduces waste associated with conventional pesticide spray applications, delivering your important plant protection products where they matter the most
· Leonora O’Brien, Pharmapod – founded in is the leading cloud-based, quality management and business intelligence tool for reducing Patient Safety Incidents (PSIs) and driving efficiencies in community pharmacies, long term care, and hospitals. She was also announced as Business Woman of The Year in Ireland 2020
· Matt Cooper, Inflazome – founded in 2016 it is a pioneering biotech company developing breakthrough medicines to help people with debilitating inflammatory diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
· Antonia Hendron, M50 Truck & Van Centre – specialises in Sales & Servicing Commercial Vehicle Repairs. Antonia took over in 2018 and the organisation employs over 100 people. She is also the Vice President of SIMI
· Conor O’Loughlin, Glofox – provides a full stack platform for fitness studios and gyms. Glofox’s tools drive sales, engage their members in addition to growing and retaining revenues. It provides membership management, billing and payments, automated CRM capabilities, reporting and analytics. Glofox is used in Over 3000 businesses in over 60 countries use its software everyday
· Nicola Mitchell, Life Scientific – specialise in bringing high quality off-patent crop protection products to market
· Cathal Friel, Open Orphan – Newly created niche CRO which is the world leader in testing vaccines and antivirals through human challenge studies.
Commenting on the announcement, Roger Wallace, Partner Lead for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme said: “2020 has been a challenging year so far for many businesses but we know that if there is one group that will rise to that challenge, it’s our island’s entrepreneurs. The judges have selected an exceptional group of businesspeople from a very impressive pool of nominees. This year we’ve seen lots of newer, cutting-edge tech and life sciences businesses nominated, as well as more established and traditional players. This year’s finalists are a diverse group, representing a huge range of industries, all of whom share an insatiable hunger for growth and incredible resilience to challenges. As we begin reopening our economies, North and South, our entrepreneurial businesses will be essential to recovery. We at EY are proud to play our part in supporting the island’s entrepreneurs and I am delighted to formally welcome this year’s finalists into the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year community.”
Anne Heraty, CEO of CPL Resources Plc, and Chair of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ judging panel commented: “2020 so far has been a strange and challenging time for all of us in business, and this year’s judging process has taken place against a very different backdrop to the last number of years. The judging panel again had the unenviable task of coming to a final shortlist of 24 finalists from an incredibly talented pool of nominees, but we’re all in agreement that those we’ve selected represent the very best of entrepreneurial talent across the island. This year’s finalists are at the start of what will be such an exciting journey, not just this year but as they become part of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ community. I’d like to wish them the very best at the beginning of an unforgettable journey through the programme and beyond.’’
Now in its 23rd year, the programme has established itself as a world-class development programme that supports, promotes, and connects an extraordinary community of entrepreneurs, championing entrepreneurship throughout the island of Ireland and around the world. Since its inception, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ community has grown to a tight-knit network of more than 525 alumni who harness each other’s wealth of experience, with 77% now doing business with one another. The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme is supported by Premium Corporate Sponsor Julius Baer International, and Government sponsors Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland. For further information, please visit www.eoy.ie.
