Ernst & Young names Marcel Lebrun, Chris Newton and Chris Ramsey of Radian6 the 2011 Atlantic Entrepreneur Of The Year
Ernst & Young recognizes entrepreneurs who exemplify vision and innovation (Halifax, 14 October 2011) Marcel Lebrun, Chief Executive Officer, Chris Newton, Chief Technology Officer, and Chris Ramsey, Executive Vice-President, of Radian6 — a leading provider of comprehensive social media monitoring — are this year’s Atlantic Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award winners.
“Social media is quickly transforming the very way businesses connect with their clients, and these New Brunwickers turned that challenge into an opportunity, says Joyce Hoeven, Partner and Atlantic Director of Entrepreneur Of The Year. “Together, these creative thinkers have built the largest and fastest-growing player in the social media monitoring space. Today, more than half of Fortune’s top 100 companies now use Radian6 platform.”
Lebrun, Newton and Ramsey co-founded Radian6 with a young workforce spread largely over Fredericton, Saint John and Halifax. They’ve maintained their Maritime flair while effectively harnessing the Silicon Valley freight train that is social media.
While the early days were challenging, Lebrun, Newton and Ramsey were able to raise venture capital, which brought the company to a new level and helped overcome significant challenges. That includes further developing the product, recruiting the best talent to compete with well financed competitors from the US, and expanding their market share to acquire credibility with large multinational clients.
That kind of forward-looking approach can be critical to an entrepreneur’s success. Nature or nurture? Decoding the DNA of the entrepreneur, Ernst & Young’s global survey of leading entrepreneurs, found 76% of those polled cited vision as the top quality necessary to achieve success.
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes the spirit and contribution of entrepreneurs here and around the world. The Canadian program is in its 18th year of honouring the country’s most impressive entrepreneurs from all areas of business. Award winners are chosen based on a number of factors, including their vision, leadership, financial performance and social responsibility.
Category recipients of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 Atlantic Awards:
Business-to-business products and services
Brendan Paddick
Columbus International Inc. l St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
columbuscommunications.com
A leading provider of broadband capacity services and retail “triple play” broadband-enabled services to commercial and retail customers operating in 22 countries in North and South America.
Business-to-consumer products and services
Kevin Murphy
Murphy Investments Ltd l Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
murphygroupofrestaurants.com
A hotel/restaurant that celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 2010. It began with one restaurant in 1980 and now employs over 300 people and operates 14 locations as well as two boutique hotels.
Energy – industrial servicesBrian Dalton
Altius Minerals Corp. l St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
altiusminerals.com
A mining and metals exploration company.
Health sciences
Jean-Paul Deveau
Acadian Seaplants Limited l Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
acadianseaplants.com
A fully integrated, diversified, technology-based manufacturer of natural plant and crop input products, animal feed supplements, cultivated sea vegetables and functional ingredients derived from select species of marine plants.
Information technology
Marcel LeBrun, Chris Newton, Chris Ramsey
Radian6 Inc. l Fredericton, New Brunswick
radian6.com
The leading provider of social media monitoring, providing its clients with a complete platform to listen to, measure and engage their customers across the entire social web.
Professional/financial services
Mark Surrette
Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette l Halifax, Nova Scotia
kbrs.ca
Atlantic Canada’s leading human capital consulting firm. It helps clients recruit top talent, manage the human impact of change and develop leadership capacity.
Real estate/construction
Besim Halef
Banc Group of Companies l Bedford, Nova Scotia
bancmetals.com
A family-owned group of companies involved in real estate development, real estate management and hotel ownership. It originated with a metal fabrication business.
What’s next?
As the Atlantic region’s 2011 Entrepreneur Of The Year, Lebrun, Newton and Ramsey will compete with top entrepreneurs from the Prairies, Ontario, Québec and Atlantic region for the national honour of Canada’s Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011, to be presented at a gala celebration November 23, 2011, in Toronto. In June 2012, Canada’s Entrepreneur Of The Year 2011 will move to the world stage to compete with 50 country recipients for the title of Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year®.
- 30 -About Entrepreneur of The Year
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards honour the spirit and contribution of entrepreneurs here and around the world. Nominees are reviewed by an independent judging panel, which is composed of several distinguished business leaders and previous award recipients. The 2011 Atlantic region judging panel consisted of Mark Dobbin, President and CEO, Killick Capital Inc.; Gerry Pond, Chairman, Mariner Partners inc.; Mike Mallory, Chair, TEC Group – New Brunswick; Denis Connor, Chair, First Angels Network – Nova Scotia; Duncan Shaw, General Manager, Cogsdale Corporation; Earl Ludlow, CEO
Newfoundland Power Inc.; and Melinda Lee, Corporate Director.
For more information on the program, FAQs, and key dates please visit ey.com/ca/EOY.
This year’s national program sponsors are National Post, La Presse and RDI. The Atlantic region program sponsor is Progress Media, and the table patrons are Royal Bank of Canada, McInnes Cooper and Marriott Halifax Harbourfront Hotel.
About Ernst & Young LLP’s Entrepreneurial Services practice
Ernst & Young LLP’s Entrepreneurial Services practice serves Canada’s entrepreneurs by delivering integrated business advisory services in assurance, tax, transactions, and advisory services to help them drive growth and create value. Our team of professionals has a track record of focusing on the issues and needs of companies as they grow from early stage to become market leaders. Ernst & Young has long worked with and celebrated the achievements of Canadian men and women who create the products, services and jobs that propel Canada’s economy and communities forward. For more information, please visit ey.com/ca/Entrepreneurs.
About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.
