The award alumni generate revenues of €25bn and employs more than 250,000 across the island of Ireland.
The finalists of the 28th EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards have been announced, and collectively, the 24 entrepreneurs generate nearly €1bn in revenues and employ more than 4,000 people, said EY Ireland.
The shortlisted entrepreneurs span a range of sectors including consumer, technology, media, health, life sciences, manufacturing and financial services. The finalists, who hail from all over the island of Ireland, will compete across four categories and an overall award.
This includes an ‘Emerging’ category for businesses running for a minimum of two years showing fast growth, an ‘Established’ category for longstanding businesses contributing significantly as employers on the island and an ‘International’ category consisting of entrepreneurs who are global players.
A special Sustainability Award will be presented to the finalist making the biggest contribution towards environmental sustainability through their business.
In addition, an overall ‘EY Entrepreneur Of The Year’ will be selected nationally at ceremony in November. The national winner will then go on to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards the following June in Monaco.
The finalists include Alan Doyle, the CEO of Dublin-based aviation analytics company Aerlytix. The start-up recently secured €455,000 through an Enterprise Ireland grant to develop new products and services aimed at optimising the airline industry’s analytical capabilities.
ICS Medical Devices’ founder and CEO Seamus Fahey is also shortlisted. The company provides design, prototyping and manufacturing of catheter shafts for minimally invasive medicine. Last year, it made it to the final round of the Irish Medtech Awards.
While Nutriband founder Gareth Sheridan is up for the Established Award category. Last year, the business raised $8.4m in a stock sale to complete clinical development and regulatory work on one of its drug abuse deterrent products.
The finalists will engage in a strategic growth programme which includes a week-long CEO retreat taking place in Japan.
As part of this retreat, the finalists will join a group of more than 100 alumni of the programme where they will meet other entrepreneurs, businesspeople and academics.
“This is the 28th year of the Entrepreneur of the Year programme on the island of Ireland and with every year the bar is raised higher in terms of the quality of the impressive entrepreneurs that submitted nominations,” said Roger Wallace, the partner lead for the EY programme.
“From well known and loved consumer brands to pioneering life science and technology businesses, and so much more in between, our finalists lead outstanding businesses creating opportunities and employment across Ireland.
“Our finalists are exploring new markets and technologies to solve challenges and find solutions that will revolutionise their own industries, confirming Ireland’s exceptional reputation as a centre of excellence for innovation and business,” he added.
EY Entrepreneur of the Year award alumni generate revenues of €25bn and employ more than 250,000 across the island of Ireland. Last year, Orlaith Ryan and Sharon Cunningham of Shorla Oncology, a pharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of oncology drugs for orphan and paediatric cancers, bagged the overall EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award.
Here is a full list of the 2025 finalists:
Emerging
- Alan Doyle, Aerlytix
- Eoin Cluskey, Bread41
- Eddie Dillon, CreditLogic
- Laura Dowling, FabÜ
- Caitriona Ryan and Nicola Ralph, Institute of Dermatologists
- Liam Dunne, Klearcom
- Aidan and Hilary O’Shea, Otonomee
- Aine Kennedy, The Smooth Company
Established
- Karl Fitzpatrick, Chevron College
- Derek Foley Butler, Grid Finance
- James Kelly, LMH Engineering Group
- William McColgan, McColgans Quality Foods
- Gareth Sheridan, Nutriband
- Terry Hughes, Pivotal
- Larry Bass, Shinawil
- Gary Lavin, Vithit Drink
International
- Donnchadh Campbell, Europlan
- Conor Buckley, Granite Digital
- Seamus Fahey, ICS Medical Devices
- Brendan Noud and Desmond Anderson, LearnUpon
- Brian McGrath, MSL Engineering
- Martin Tierney, Seating Matters
- David Corcoran, Soltec Ireland
- Edward McCloskey, WaterWipes
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