The 24 finalists of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland programme for 20202 have been revealed today.
The finalists, from across the island of Ireland, have been shortlisted from more than 100 nominations by an independent judging panel of previous winners, chaired by Anne Heraty, CEO of CPL Resources.
They will compete across three categories - Emerging, Industry and International - and one overall winner will be selected as The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 in November.
Roger Wallace, Partner Lead for the programme, said that 2020 has been a challenging year so far for many businesses.
Mr Wallace said the judges have selected an exceptional group of businesspeople from a very impressive pool of nominees.
"This year we've seen lots of newer, cutting-edge tech and life sciences businesses nominated, as well as more established and traditional players," he said.
"This year's finalists are a diverse group, representing a huge range of industries, all of whom share an insatiable hunger for growth and incredible resilience to challenges. As we begin reopening our economies, North and South, our entrepreneurial businesses will be essential to recovery," he added.
The 2020 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists are:
Emerging Category
Devan Hughes, Buymie - Dublin
Ríona Ní Ghriallais and Conor Harkin, ProVerum - Dublin
Brendan McDowell, BPerfect Cosmetics - Antrim
Dr Sinéad B Bleiel, AnaBio Technologies - Cork
Gary Wickham, MagGrow - Dublin
John Gouldingand& Joe Lennon, Workvivo - Cork
Leonora O’Brien, Pharmapod - Dublin
Matt Cooper, Inflazome - Dublin
Industry Category
Kevin O’Connor, General Paints Group - Kildare
Cormac McCloskey, Errigal Contracts Ltd - Derry
Antonia Hendron, M50 Truck and Van Centre - Dublin
Frank and Dolores Kiernan, Kiernan Structural Steel Ltd - Longford
Ed Donovan, Advanced Medical Services - Cork
John O’Connell, West Cork Distillers - Cork
Paul Fitzgibbon and Neil Fitzgibbon, Ard Ri Marble - Kerry
Seamus O’Hara, Carlow Brewing Company - Carlow
International Category
Pat Lucey, Aspira - Cork
Rodney Lowry, Lowe Rental Ltd - Antrim
Tim Houstoun, Global Shares - Cork
Conor O'Loughlin, Glofox - Dublin
Nicola Mitchell, Life Scientific - Dublin
Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Poppulo - Cork
Andrew Mackin, Mackin - Cork
Cathal Friel, Open Orphan - Dublin
