Canada's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023

Taking your bold vision to its next extraordinary journey.

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About the program

From creating disruptive technologies and transforming consumer journeys, to building new communities and driving positive social change, there’s no limit to the creativity of Canadian entrepreneurs — and the stories we want to share.

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program shines a spotlight on entrepreneurs across Canada who master the artful balance of passion, determination, character, and skill to create businesses that address the most complex challenges and build a better working world. By joining the program, you’ll have the opportunity to celebrate success with your team, inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and gain access to an exclusive global network of program participants that help to build connections, fuel success and navigate long-term growth.

If you or someone you know is turning ground-breaking ideas into innovative businesses, we want to help celebrate that success today.

At EY, we support entrepreneurship for all — not just today, not just tomorrow, but for the next century and beyond.

For 29 years, our Canadian program has:

Received more than

4,700

nominations

Celebrated nearly

3,200

finalists

Honoured over

1,400

award recipients

Congratulations to the 2023 regional finalists

Select a region below to view the finalists

Regional finalists 2023

Pacific

Prairies

Ontario

Québec

Atlantic

View the past 2022 winners

Celebrating entrepreneurs from coast to coast

Each fall, the business community comes together to celebrate the regional finalists and winners of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program. These entrepreneurs not only create and build market-leading businesses, they also help take the standard of excellence to new heights, transform the faces of industries, create jobs and contribute to the vibrancy of communities. They create the art of possible — far beyond any ideals or concepts. We’re looking forward to the regional celebrations this fall. For more information, contact the regional program leaders.

Pacific (Vancouver)
October 26, 2023

Prairies (Calgary)
October 5, 2023

Ontario (Toronto)
October 19, 2023

Québec (Montréal)
October 19, 2023

Atlantic (Halifax)
October 27, 2023

National (Toronto)
November 30, 2023

Benefits of participation

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    Peer-to-peer learning opportunities – The chance to keep a pulse on the latest hot topics with peer-to-peer learning experiences, workshops, roundtable discussions and more.

    Connect with EY advisors - Connections with EY advisors through the EY 7 Drivers of Growth and EY Velocity to help your business broaden its focus to embrace value creation.

    Lifetime entrepreneur community access - Lifetime access to a community of like-minded business leaders who are each on their own transformational journey, including fellow entrepreneurs, program judges and sponsors, business leaders and EY personnel.

    Expand your network - The opportunity to expand your network and build relationships through invitations to exclusive entrepreneurially focused and broader EY-run events.

    Exclusive Invitation -  An exclusive invitation to the EY Strategic Growth Forum®, one of North America’s largest gatherings of entrepreneurs, investors, executives and business leaders.

What makes a good nominee?

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ recognizes innovative entrepreneurial achievement among individuals and companies that demonstrate vision, leadership and success. See what it takes to submit a good nomination.

  • Eligibility Requirements

    Built over decades, our communities, alliances and relationships support your growth.

    • The nominee must be an owner or CEO of a private or public company, and responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business. Co-founders are eligible if they share leadership responsibilities at the company.
    • Non-founding entrepreneurs are only eligible if the individual manages the business and assumes the associated risks.
    • The nominee must have been in their current leadership role for at least two years, by the application deadline.
    • The nominee’s company must be at least three years old.

     

  • Key Considerations

    Growth

    • Are they growing or expanding offices, operations across provincial and global borders?
    • Have they undergone any recent mergers or acquisitions?
    • What actions do they take to create long-term value?

    Story

    • What makes the entrepreneur's story unique? Have they had an interesting journey to get to where they are today?
    • Have they won other awards or have their accomplishments been recognized in the media?
    • Is the company led by a woman, Black, Indigenous, person of colour or 2SLGBTQ+ entrepreneur?
    • Does the company foster an inclusive workforce/culture?

     

  • Other Tips

    A strong and well-written nomination is powerful and compelling to the judges. Consider these important points when completing a nomination form.

    • It’s about the entrepreneur! Share their accomplishments as the founder/leader of the business, the success of the company as a whole and the team who has supported the journey. Bragging is encouraged. No need to be humble.
    • Understand how the entrepreneur will be evaluated. The judges will consider entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and impact. It’s a balanced scorecard.
    • Tell the entrepreneur story. Paint a picture of their history, entrepreneurial spirit and accomplishments.
    • Be concise and polished. Stay within the word count limit and make sure to proof your work.
    • Demonstrate results. Make sure all achievements are measurable. Quantify and expand on the growth in the storytelling portion with specific numbers, percentages and statistics.
    • Meet the nomination deadline. Careful planning and preparation will help you get your nomination in on time.

     

   

 

2023 nominations now closed

If you’re a successful entrepreneur or you know an entrepreneur who has created a thriving, dynamic business that will reframe the future, nominate them for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program. Nominations will open in early 2024.

Contact us for more details

 

Program timeline

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    March 1 – Program launch
    April 17 – Nominations close
    April 17 to May 5 – Judging phase one: finalists determined
    May 5 to June 7 – Finalist interviews with EY
    June - July – Regional finalist events
    June – Judging phase two: Meet the judges - panel interviews
    September - December – Company Plaques
    October – Regional winner celebrations
    November 9 - 12 – Strategic Growth Forum
    November – National awards celebration
    June 2024 – EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™

Meet Canada's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 national winners

Congratulations to Canada’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 winner Joanna Griffiths and the national award winners.

Explore

Meet Canada's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 regional winners

Congratulations to all of Canada’s EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2022 regional winners and finalists.

Explore

Need more information? Visit our FAQs.


Program contacts

Select a region below to view contact information

National sponsor

TMX logo
Air Canada logo
Hillberg & Berk logo

Sponsor benefits

A unique year-round C-suite relationship development program:

  • Allows you to gain knowledge about an entrepreneur’s business 
  • Furthers relationships with your targets and clients
  • Extends relationships into the C-suite
  • Garners media and press coverage of the event
  • Promotes your brand and competitive positioning in high-growth entrepreneurial markets
  • Assists entrepreneurs with raising their profile and company profiles
  • Provides access to a robust, influential entrepreneurial ecosystem
  • Brand exposure to a broadened audience through virtual EY Canada Awards show
  • Access and invites to other EY exclusive events

Learn more

Discover More

Entrepreneurial Winning Women
The Entrepreneur Shift Series
EY Private
Strategic Growth Forum

Contact us

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