Entrepreneur of the Year finalists shortlisted

TWENTY FOUR leading business people in Ireland have been shortlisted for this year’s Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

The nominees have been chosen across three categories – Emerging, industry and international.

Nominees include Ray Coyle of Largo Food Exports, which makes Tayto crisps in the Republic; Galway developer Miceal Sammon of Sammon Contracting Group; Conor McCarthy, founder of two-year-old aircraft maintenance group Dublin Aerospace; and Domini and Peaches Kemp of Itsabagel.

They were chosen from a record 140 nominations by an 11-strong panel of judges chaired by Pádraig Ó Ceidigh, chairman of Aer Arann and winner of the award in 2002.

The 24 businesses have a combined turnover of about €600 million and employ 11,000 people.

The entrepreneurs will be offered the opportunity to participate in the awards’ annual CEO Retreat, which this year involves a week-long trip to India in June.

The Entrepreneur of the Year award was won in 2010 by Brian Conlon, chief executive of First Derivatives. He will represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards in Monte Carlo in early June.

Profiles of the finalists will appear in The Irish Timesover the next six weeks.

The winner will be announced at a televised awards ceremony in October.

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year:  The finalists

Emerging

Annadale Technologies – Denis McCarthy

Blue Insurances Ltd/ Multitrip.com – Ciaran Mulligan Rowan Devereux Bubblebum UK Ltd – Grainne Kelly

Joule – Ronan Ginnell Ian Barrett

Crospon – John ODea

Crowley Carbon Ltd – Norman Crowley

The Now Factory – Tom Morrisroe

Dublin Aerospace – Conor McCarthy

Industry

Homecare Independent Living – Mairead Mackle

PFH Technology Group Limited – Paul Hourican

Itsabagel Ltd – Domini Peaches Kemp

Largo Food Exports – Raymond Coyle

Noonan – John ODonoghue

Argento – Peter Boyle

Centre For English Studies – Justin Quinn

Version 1 – Justin Keatinge

International

Openet – Joe Hogan Niall Norton

Telestack Limited – Adrian McCutcheon

Texthelp Systems Limited – Mark McCusker

MJM Group – Brian McConville

Munster Simms Eng Ltd (Whale Water Systems) – Patrick Hurst

XSP – Brendan Farrell

Intune Networks Ltd – John Dunne

Sammon Contracting Group Ltd – Miceal Sammon