Mayo natives on Entrepreneur of the Year shortlist

TWO Mayo natives have been shortlisted for the 2017 EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme.

Harry Hughes, of Westport-based Portwest, has been shortlisted in the International category while Niall McGarry, a native of Castlebar, and owner of Maximum Media/JOE Media, is named in the Emerging category.

The shortlist of 24 finalists represents entrepreneurial businesses right across the island of Ireland and a range of sectors, including technology, healthcare, FMCG and retail.

The nominated finalists, who have been selected in the three categories of Emerging, Industry and International following a rigorous and independent judging process, have a combined workforce of over 5,000 people and turnover of more than €475 million.

The theme of this year’s programme is 'Leading through Change' in recognition of the significant change within the business community over the past two decades, and the pace at which it continues to evolve to this day.

Finalists in this year’s EOY 10-month development programme will benefit from mentoring initiatives, executive education, and an international CEO retreat to San Francisco later this month, which will represent the largest unofficial trade mission specifically focused on fostering entrepreneurship.

As finalists progress through the programme, the judging panel will determine the winners based on a number of criteria, including innovation, value creation, strategic direction, financial performance, national and global impact, and the entrepreneur’s contribution to society and industry.

The winners will be announced at the televised awards night in October and the overall winner will represent Ireland at World Entrepreneur of the Year in Monaco.