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Nominations open for EY Entrepreneur of The Year™ Programme (Ireland)

Deadline: 27 February 2025

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is a world-class development programme that supports, advises, and connects a community of entrepreneurs, championing entrepreneurship throughout the island of Ireland.

The EOY programme not only ensures national and international recognition for successful finalists and alumni, but also provides an invaluable network and business development opportunity within a strong and supportive EOY Alumni community with over 650 members.

By participating in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme, entrepreneurs can connect with their peers, access relevant insights to help navigate their growth journey and raise the profile of their companies and teams. Each programme culminates in the announcement of an overall winner who the competes for the prestigious EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award.

Theme

  • Shape The Future With Confidence is the theme for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland 2025 programme, encapsulating the spirit of innovation and resilience that defines the entrepreneurial journey. In an era marked by rapid technological advancements and dynamic market shifts, this theme underscores the importance of visionary leadership and strategic foresight.

Categories

  • The categories in their EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme apply to a wide range of businesses across all sectors on the island of Ireland. These range from fast growth entrepreneurial businesses, established international groups to longstanding family enterprises. This wide range of business leaders and entrepreneurs is the backbone of their alumni community and what makes it such a valuable and unique network. A winner will be selected from each of the Emerging, Established & International Categories, and of these three winners, their overall winner will be selected.
    • Emerging
      • Nominees in the Emerging category run businesses that have been trading for a minimum of two years. They are ambitious entrepreneurs who have started a business which is growing quickly. They are high-potential, dynamic, resourceful and ‘ones-towatch’ for the future.
    • Established
      • Established, longstanding businesses with a pedigree of growth and innovation, contributing significantly as employers on the Island of Ireland. Including some of their greatest family businesses, their Established finalists are market leaders in their sectors and have made a significant contribution to the economy over a considerable period of time.
    • International
      • The International category consists of entrepreneurs who are global players. Their companies operate in multiple markets across the globe and can be headquartered here in Ireland or overseas.

Benefits

  • As a finalist your prize includes, but is not limited to:
    • Access to peer mentoring and network
    • Media profiling across national & local newspaper and broadcast media
    • Alumni-specific events such as conference days and dinners
    • Finalist specific digital content creation and profiling to a global audience
    • An invitation to join their annual CEO Retreat
    • Bespoke EY Enterprise Evolution Sessions with EY Partners
    • In-depth profiling on their website and on their social media platforms
    • Business development opportunities with their programme sponsors

Eligibility Criteria

  • EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is an all-island programme.
  • Nominees must own a minimum of 5% of the company (publicly listed companies will be assessed on a case-by-case basis).
  • Nominees must be primarily responsible for the recent performance of the company.
  • Nominees must either be Irish or running a company based on the island of Ireland.
  • Turnover in excess of €1 million or £1 million.
  • The nominee’s company must be trading for a minimum of two years (companies with a long R&D process pre-commencement of trading, early-stage life sciences and technology companies and companies that have received significant investment are dealt with on a case-by-case basis).
  • If nominees have previously applied and not been shortlisted to the final 24, their judging panel welcomes and encourages them to apply multiple times. Some of their previous finalists and even winners have successfully been invited into the programme after multiple applications.

Nomination Process

  • Who Can Nominate?
    • Anyone, including employees, company advisors and financiers, can nominate a successful entrepreneur, with the entrepreneur’s consent. Many of the nominations come from the entrepreneurs themselves.
  • Three Step Process
    • Nomination
      • Take a few minutes to fill out a nomination form on their website by 27th February 2025. Nomination forms will be subject to an initial screening process by their independent assessment panel, which may include a follow up call.
    • Interview
      • If successful, an interview will be scheduled with senior EY personnel, and a comprehensive and confidential report will be written on your company for submission to the judges.
    • Shortlist
      • After carefully reviewing these reports, their independent judging panel will meet in April to decide who their 24 Finalists will be for 2025.

For more information, visit EY.