EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2025 finalists revealed

• 24 finalists collectively generating revenues approaching €1 billion and employing over 4,000 people
• Sectors include consumer, technology, media, health, life sciences, manufacturing and financial services

Dublin, 17 April 2025: The finalists of the 2025 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme have been revealed today, with the 24 shortlisted entrepreneurs spanning a range of sectors including consumer, technology, media, health, life sciences, manufacturing and financial services. Collectively this group of world class business leaders are already generating annual revenues approaching €1 billion and employing over 4,000 people.  

The finalists hail from across the island of Ireland and 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™ 2025 at a gala awards ceremony which will take place in November.   

Roger Wallace, Partner Lead for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland said:

“This is the 28th year of the Entrepreneur of the Year programme on the island of Ireland, and with every year the bar is raised higher in terms of the quality of the impressive entrepreneurs that submitted nominations. I know that our judging panel had a seriously difficult job selecting our 24 incredible finalists.

“From well known and loved consumer brands to pioneering life science and technology businesses, and so much more in between, our finalists lead outstanding businesses creating opportunities and employment across Ireland. The creation of world class businesses from Ireland has never been more important and our 24 finalists are leading the way.

“Our finalists are exploring new markets and technologies to solve challenges and find solutions that will revolutionise their own industries, confirming Ireland’s exceptional reputation as a centre of excellence for innovation and business. I am delighted to formally welcome this year’s 24 finalists into the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year community and I look forward to working with them closely over the coming months.”

The 2025 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ finalists are: 

This year’s finalists have been shortlisted by an independent judging panel of previous winners, chaired by Harry Hughes, CEO of Portwest and Chairperson of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Judging™ Panel who commented: 

“We were so impressed with the outstanding calibre of all of the nominations received for the programme this year. Selecting just 24 finalists was an incredibly challenging task but I am thrilled to congratulate this year’s finalists and extend a very warm welcome into the EOY community. An immensely valuable experience now awaits each of them and I wish them every success as they embark on this journey and join this extraordinary group of passionate, courageous individuals who are truly driving Irish entrepreneurship forward.”

Since its inception, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland™ community has grown to a tight-knit network of more than 650 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 €25bn, 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

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Notes to Editor

What finalists can expect

This year’s 24 finalists will engage in a strategic growth programme which includes a week-long CEO Retreat, taking place this year in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan. As part of this retreat, the finalists will join a group of more than 100 alumni of the programme where they will meet a range of world-class entrepreneurs, businesspeople and academics. 

The finalists will also be welcomed into a community of more than 650 peers in the Irish EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ community. To date, three quarters (75%) of the alumni of the programme have conducted business with one another. Together, the EOY alumni community generates revenues of €25bn, and employs more than 250,000 across the island of Ireland.

The programme will include executive education sessions; networking fora; extensive media profiling; the annual Gala Awards. An award is presented for each category, and an overall winner will be announced at the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards in November.  The overall winner will represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards the following June in Monaco. 

Award Categories

Emerging: Nominees in the Emerging category run businesses that have been trading for a minimum of two years. They are ambitious entrepreneurs who have started a business which is growing quickly. They are high potential, dynamic, resourceful and ‘ones-to-watch’ for the future.

Established: Established, longstanding businesses with a pedigree of growth and innovation, contributing significantly as employers on the Island of Ireland. Including some of our greatest family businesses, our Established finalists are market leaders in their sectors and have made a significant contribution to the economy over a considerable period of time.

International: The International category consists of entrepreneurs who are global players. Their companies operate in multiple markets across the globe and can be headquartered here in Ireland or overseas.

The Sustainability Award: Recognising the critical importance of innovation leadership in meeting our collective sustainability challenges, we are introducing the new Sustainability award to the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme. This award is presented to the finalist who is making the biggest contribution towards environmental sustainability through their business. They are striving to protect our future by providing solutions and taking transformative business actions to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues and concerns.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme is a global recognition programme run in 145 cities in more than 60 countries. Currently in its 28th year in Ireland, the programme works to recognise, promote and build a supportive community around Ireland’s high-growth entrepreneurs and is considered one of the strongest programmes globally.

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