Professional services firm EY is calling on successful female entrepreneurs to nominate themselves for the 2015 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme. With less than two weeks to go until the deadline for nominations, the business awards programme hopes that Ireland’s high potential female entrepreneurs will put themselves forward for the accolade as the programme aims to profile role models in Irish business.
Partner Lead of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme, Kevin McLoughlin said: “The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme is as much about potential as it is about achievement and we are interested in engaging with female entrepreneurs from start-up level to global players to discuss their businesses and explore how being part of our programme can support them on their journey. This year’s programme has been designed to help entrepreneurs grow their knowledge with the latest information about business strategies and practices while increasing national visibility for themselves and their companies among investors, the media and corporate executives.”
Now in its 18th year, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY ) has evolved into a development programme for the best entrepreneurs across the island of Ireland. Open to high-performing entrepreneurs from every sector, the programme accepts submissions from entrepreneurs of different growth stages as well as nominations from the general public.
As part of the programme, this year’s 24 finalists will join a group of 100 entrepreneurs, all previous finalists and winners of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year, for a week-long CEO Retreat taking place between Berlin and Munich. The intensive week will include executive education as well as master classes with the CEOs at the helm of Germany’s most successful start-ups and globally renowned indigenous companies.
As a former EOY winner, Anne Heraty, the newly appointed Chairperson of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year judging panel and CEO of Cpl, urged female entrepreneurs to get involved: “Having a supportive network of like-minded peers is crucial to the success of every entrepreneur and being part of the Entrepreneur Of The Year community has enabled me to shorten the learning curve, create valuable business partnerships and receive counsel on tough business problems.”
The awards programme is divided into three categories - Emerging, Industry and International - with 8 finalists chosen in each category. The 24 finalists will be selected by the independent panel of judges made up of former EOY winners. The overall winner of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 will go on to compete against the world’s leading entrepreneurs at World Entrepreneur Of The Year in Monte Carlo in June 2016.
Speaking at the EY Women’s Network Breakfast, former EY Entrepreneur Of The Year finalist and co-founder of Itsa Group, Peaches Kemp added: “I became part of the EOY community in 2011 when Ireland was in the middle of the recession, and although initially daunting, I was quickly struck by how many incredible entrepreneurs there are in this country and by how honest and forthcoming everyone was with information, advice and their own stories. The EOY community really has helped me to establish great business bonds, to find valuable mentors to bounce ideas off and to reaffirm how important entrepreneurship is to Ireland.”
Individuals who wish to put themselves forward or to nominate an entrepreneur with their consent, can fill out the online nomination form at www.eoy.ie or call the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year team for further information on 01 221 2250. The deadline for nominations is Friday 20 March.
