The EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition is considered one of the most prestigious awards programmes for business leaders, operating in more than 140 cities worldwide.

The Irish awards are open to entrepreneurs across Ireland and are run in association with Invest Northern Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, The Irish Times, Newstalk and UTV Ireland. Through its annual international CEO Retreat, peer-to-peer mentoring, executive education series and community impact initiatives, the EY Ireland programme has established a group of more than 440 entrepreneurs.

Chaired by the 2006 EY Entrepreneur of the Year winner Anne Heraty, this year's judging panel included previous EY Entrepreneur of the Year (overall and category) winners Michael Carey, Mark Roden, Terry Clune, Dr Edmond Harty, Joe Hogan, Jerry Kennelly, Brian Long, Pat McDonagh and Denis O'Brien, as well as Orla Battersby from Enterprise Ireland and Jeremy Fitch from Invest Northern Ireland.