Nominations have opened for the 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition, the 10th annual programme to encourage and recognise excellence in entrepreneurship.
The competition is open to owner- managers who are primarily responsible for the recent performance of a company that is at least two years old. Entrants can nominate themselves or be nominated. Founders of public companies are eligible if they are still active in its top management.
Nominations can be made in three categories: emerging business, industry and international business. Eight finalists will be selected from each.
Sponsored by Ulster Bank, the 2007 programme centres on the strategic theme of corporate and social responsibility. The 24 finalists will be invited on a Caribbean "CEO Retreat" in the Dominican Republic with former finalists. They will attend classroom studies with corporate and social responsibility thinkers and spend time in Haiti, helping local people to set up small businesses.
Enda Kelly of Ernst & Young said the competition helped to create valuable role models to foster Irish enterprise in the long term. Ulster Bank corporate markets chief executive Robert Gallagher said: "We take pride in both recognising and rewarding the achievements of Ireland's entrepreneurial community."
The panel of judges is chaired by businessman Denis O'Brien. It includes 2006 winner Anne Heraty of recruitment firm CPL while former winners Aidan Heavey of Tullow Oil, Pádraig Ó Céidigh of Aer Arann and Peter Fitzgerald of Randox Laboratories are also on the panel.
The competition is run in association with The Irish Times, RTÉ, Ulster Bank, Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland, Invest Northern Ireland, the Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship and Digicel.
