Food fares well in EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2023 Finalists List

Food fares well in EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2023 Finalists List
(l-r) Eimear McCrann,  EY Entrepreneur of The Year Lead; Tom Keogh Founder & Managing Director of Keogh's Crisps; Aine Kilkenny, Co-founder at Riley; and Roger Wallace, Partner Lead for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year. Pic:Naoise Culhane

Food and Retail entrepreneurs announced as finalists: Tom Keogh of Keogh’s Crisps; Lorraine Heskin of Gourmet Food Parlour; Ray Nangle & Geraldine Killian of The Lunch Bag make the grade.

The finalists of the 2023 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme have been revealed – with food and retail young entrepreneurs featuring among the list.

The 24 shortlisted entrepreneurs span a range of sectors including technology, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, retail, consumer products, and engineering.  Collectively this group of world class business leaders are already generating annual revenues of more than €700M and employ over 5,000 people.

The finalists who hail from across the island of Ireland will compete across three categories – Emerging, Established and International – with a special Sustainability Award presented to the finalist who is making the biggest contribution towards environmental sustainability through their business. One overall winner will be selected as The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2023 at a gala awards ceremony which will take place in November.

Commenting on the announcement, Roger Wallace, Partner Lead for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme, said: “We received a record number of nominations for this year’s programme and the highest ever number of nominations for female entrepreneurs which we are delighted to see. This year’s finalists represent a broad spectrum of industries, including technology, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, retail, consumer products and engineering to name but a few. Our finalists come from diverse backgrounds and communities across Ireland north and south, showcasing the depth of entrepreneurial spirit and talent running through the island. 

“The theme for this year’s programme is ‘The Art of Entrepreneurship’. Both Artists and Entrepreneurs are creators, thinking differently and bringing new ideas and concepts which inspire and challenge. The EOY alumni group welcome and foster that spirit of innovation like no other, collectively impacting the ambition and culture of our Island. I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our 24 eminent finalists into the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ community and I look forward to working with them closely over the coming months.

Since its inception, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland™ community has grown to a tight-knit network of more than 600 alumni who harness each other’s wealth of experience, with three quarters (75%) conducting business with one another. Together, the EOY alumni community generates revenues of €25 billion, and employs more than 250,000 people across the island of Ireland.

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme is supported by Premium Corporate Sponsor Julius Baer International, and Government sponsors Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland.  For further information, please visit www.eoy.ie