Written by Lisa Holt
Cpl was delighted to attend the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards in Citywest last Thursday night. We are exceptionally proud of our CEO Anne Heraty, who was the overall winner in 2006 and since then Cpl have been regular visitors to the event. In another challenging year for Irish businesses, it was a unique privilege to be given the opportunity to be in the presence of so many gifted Entrepreneurs.
There was a palpable atmosphere of positivity in the room this year, with 1260 successful business people in attendance and E&Y doing a superb job in profiling each finalist. It was truly inspiring to hear the success stories of so many talented individuals and witness their charisma, ambition and entrepreneurial flair.
The winner of the Emerging Category was Paul Kenny of Cobone. Paul started his business at the age of just 25. Initially he began by offering daily coupons online for leisure activities to consumers in the UAE. Today Cabone employs 120 staff from 26 different countries. Paul is a young, hardworking and very sincere guy who paid tribute to the support of his wife, family and friends.
The Industry category winner was Colm Piercy, CEO of Digiweb, Irish-owned telecoms and managed networks services provider with more than 100,000 customers. Colm’s delight at being declared the winner was a joy to behold and a wonderful moment.
This year, the E&Y Special Award went to Martin Naughton, a renowned entrepreneur from Dundalk. Martin is executive chairman of the Glen Dimplex Group, a global leader in the manufacturing of electrical heating products and other appliances. The company employs a considerable staff of 8,500 and achieves annual revenues of more than €1.5 billion. Martin continues to make generous financial contributions to universities and has worked to develop productive partnerships between the north and south of the country while acting as chairman of IntertradeIreland.
Edmond Harty, Technical Director of Dairymaster, won the International Category. Dairymaster are a leading dairy equipment manufacturer based in Kerry. The company employs 270 staff worldwide.
Edmond went on to win the prestigious award of E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year 2012. His passion and enthusiasm were infectious and one got the sense that he really loves what he does. It is wonderful to see such hardworking professional people like Edmond being recognised for their outstanding innovative contributions to Ireland’s Agricultural sector. Not only is this a hugely important market for Ireland in terms of national culture but it is also one of our key export areas.
I had a chance to talk to Edmond and get a quick picture taken with him, he’s a genuine, down to earth and sincere guy who was overwhelmed with his win and honestly did not expect to receive it.
Anne Heraty our CEO is on the judging panel of the event and has spoken so highly of her involvement in the E&Y awards and in particular about her trips to India and Silicon Valley. We are exceptionally proud of Anne and all her achievements and we were very privileged to be a part of such a fantastic evening.
