Galway-based entrepreneur and CEO of Lifes2Good, James Murphy, has been named as one of the 24 finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Programme 2013.
Established in 1997, Lifes2Good is a global business, marketing and distributing a range of natural healthcare and beauty brands across Europe, America, the Middle East and Asia.
The 24 finalists were selected from three categories – emerging, industry and international, representing a diverse range of sectors, including financial services, technology, agriculture and manufacturing.
James Murphy (50 ), who studied business at NUIG and went on to become an accountant, will join the other finalists and a group of 100 entrepreneurs, all previous finalists and winners of the EOY programme, for a week-long CEO Retreat taking place between Chicago, Notre Dame University and New York in June.
Announcing the shortlist, Ernst & Young’s Frank O’Keeffe, partner-in-charge of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Programme, said: “The 24 selected finalists are significantly contributing to the creation of new jobs and opportunities in today’s challenging business environment, advancing innovation and creating value in Ireland and globally.”
This year’s judging panel was chaired by another Galwayman, 2002 EOY winner Pádraig Ó Céidigh. He was joined on the judging panel by Denis O’Brien, Ann Heraty and Liam Casey.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2013 finalists in the international catetory are:
ATA Group– Peter Cosgrove
Callan Bacon Company – John Walshe
Escher Group Holdings plc – Liam Church and Fionnuala Higgins
Lifes2Good – James Murphy
Samco Agricultural Manufacturing – Samuel Shine
Sofrimar – Lorcan Barden & Leslie Bates
Suretank Group – Patrick Joy
Voxpro – Dan Kiely and Linda Kiely
