By Business & Finance 
The 2013 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards once again showcased the inspiration, vision and drive of Ireland’s leading lights of business and entrepreneurship.
Patrick Joy, the founder and chairman of Suretank Group, was named as EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 at the televised awards ceremony held in Dublin on October 24th. Over 1,400 business leaders from across the island of Ireland and around the world were in attendance to celebrate the achievements of the 24 EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalists.
Headquartered in Dunleer Co. Louth, Suretank Group is the world’s largest manufacturer of cargo carrying units for the offshore oil and gas industry. Holding a 62% global market share, Suretank is also the leader in the transport tank industry, currently employing 700 people with revenues of over €68 million.
Joy was among 24 finalists from across the island of Ireland that made it to the competitive final stages of the Entrepreneur of the Year programme and will now go forward to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monte Carlo where he will compete with over 50 leading entrepreneurs from across the globe.
“An integral part of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme is to encourage our entrepreneurs to think global and become global,” said Frank O’Keeffe, partner-in-charge of EY Entrepreneur of the Year. “Suretank Group has scaled to become a market leader in the fiercely competitive offshore oil industry and has achieved this from their headquarters in Co. Louth, Ireland. Patrick’s big thinking and uncanny ability to compete and dominate in the global arena should serve as an inspiration to us all.”
In addition to being selected as the overall winner, Patrick Joy was also named as the International Entrepreneur of the Year. Brian Hogan of KSG, the commercial catering, restaurant and hospitality service provider, scooped the award for EY Industry Entrepreneur of the Year, while Kieran Fitzpatrick and Maurice Curran of Barracuda FX, the Foreign Exchange trading and risk management software solutions provider, were named as winners of the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year. Denis Brosnan was also named as the recipient of this years Special Award for his profound contribution to the island of Ireland through his work with Kerry Group.
The winners were selected by an independent panel of judges chaired by Padraig Ó Céidigh. The judging panel included previous Entrepreneur of the Year winners Denis O’Brien, Anne Heraty, Michael Carey, Liam Casey, Jerry Kennelly, Liam Shanahan, Brian Long and Pat McDonagh as well as representatives from Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and Invest Northern Ireland.
