Two local entrepreneurs have been announced as finalists of the 2021 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme.
Michael McKinney, Owner and MD at Inishowen Engineering and Karl McHugh, Founder at Atlantic Dawn are both in the running for the coveted prize.
There are 24 finalists in the programme which span the retail, consumer, technology, health and leisure sectors among many more, and collectively generate annual revenues in excess of €1.325bn.
The finalists from across the island of Ireland will compete across three categories – Emerging, Industry and International – and one overall winner will be selected as The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2021 in November.
Commenting on the announcement, Roger Wallace, Partner Lead for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme said: “This year’s finalists highlight the vibrant diversity of the entrepreneurial landscape across the island of Ireland, with sectors including technology, consumer, leisure and healthcare all represented, as well as our highest ever proportion of female finalists which is great to see.”
“The ability of entrepreneurs to embed the power of digital into all aspects of their businesses is reflected strongly in this year’s cohort of finalists, who include a number of exceptional consumer goods businesses reaching international markets, achieving exponential growth in the past year, along with the highest quality companies leading the way in health testing and antimicrobial technology amongst others. In what has been a really tough period of trading for many entrepreneurs, it has been equally uplifting to see so many manufacturing finalists also thriving, and able to continue growing their businesses and employment in the current environment. EY is proud to play our part in supporting the island’s entrepreneurs and I am delighted to formally welcome this year’s finalists into the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year community.”
