By Business & Finance 
Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and world-renowned horse trainer Aidan O’Brien are to be honoured at 2017 Business & Finance Awards
Enda Kenny will receive the TK Whitaker Award for Outstanding Contribution to Public Life at the 43rd annual Business & Finance Awards, in association with KPMG, this December.
Mr Kenny, who retired in June, will receive the TK Whitaker Award for Outstanding Contribution to Public Life at the 43rd annual Business & Finance Awards, in association with KPMG, this December .
The TK Whitaker Award for Outstanding Contribution to Public Life was established in 2016 to mark the 100th birthday of Dr Ken Whitaker, one of Ireland’s most outstanding public servants and the author of the seminal 1958 Economic Development report that led to the First Programme for Economic Expansion, under then-Taoiseach Sean Lemass, which effectively opened Ireland to global trade and inward investment.
Over 43 years the Business & Finance Awards have been a highlight of Ireland’s business and political calendar, with global leaders including President Bill Clinton, former British Prime Minister Sir John Major, Senator George Mitchell, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, and Sir Bob Geldof among the international honourees of the award programme.
The Awards were established in 1974 and over four decades have recognised some of Ireland’s most outstanding business leaders including Tony Ryan, Tony O’Reilly, Peter Sutherland, Denis O’Brien, Niall FitzGerald, Anne Heraty, Gary McGann, Neville Isdell, Dermot Desmond, Susan Whelan and Michael Smurfit.
This Business & Finance Awards Programme has hosted activities across three continents and brings together 1,300 international business, political and social leaders to recognise outstanding achievements and contributions.
In addition to former Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan will receive the Outstanding Achievement in Business Award. Mr Moynihan, a Notre Dame-educated lawyer whose ancestors emigrated from Ireland to America in the 1850s, has led Bank of America since 2010 and announced Dublin as its preferred base for post-Brexit European operations this year.
Finally, world-renowned trainer Aidan O’Brien will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Brand Ireland in recognition of his significant achievements across the world, and his contribution to the Irish horse racing industry and brand Ireland as a whole.
The Awards will also announce the 2017 Business Person of the Year, Company of the Year and FDI of the Year whose recipients will be chosen by an international judging panel chaired by Prof Frances Ruane.
Ian Hyland, publisher of Business & Finance and CEO of Ireland INC, said: “We are incredibly proud to be recognising three outstanding leaders as part of this year’s award programme. Their names will now join some of our most outstanding international business, political and social leaders who have been recognised over the 43 years of the awards. The Business & Finance Awards in association with KPMG have created a truly unique platform to honour outstanding individuals in the company of their peers in Dublin and celebrate Ireland in a global context.”
The Business & Finance Awards in association with KPMG take place on December 17th at the Convention Centre Dublin. The 2016 Awards were attended by over 1,300 International business, political and social leaders.
For more information see http://businessandfinanceawards.com/ or contact rebecca.brady@businessandfinance.com
