By Business & Finance 
Pictured (L-R): Ian Hyland, President & CEO of Business & Finance Media Group, Anne Heraty, Business Person of the Year 2014, Frances Ruane, Chairperson of the Judging Panel and Seamus Hand, Managing Partner of KPMG Ireland.
Business & Finance Media Group has launched the 2021 Business & Finance Awards Programme, in association with KPMG Ireland.
Business & Finance Media Group has launched the 2021 Business & Finance Awards Programme, in association with KPMG Ireland. The awards programme is open for nominations for a number of prestigious awards which honour and celebrate the very best in Irish and International business. The five categories across the programme include The 2021 Company of the Year; Business Person of the Year; Elevation Award in association with Enterprise Ireland; FDI of the Year and the Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Award. The DE&I Award is now in its third year.
Seamus Hand, Managing Partner, KPMG Ireland, spoke at the launch: ‘It has been really amazing to witness the resilience and determination but also the innovation and ambition of so many Irish based companies that, notwithstanding a challenging environment, have enjoyed tremendous success over the course of the last 18 months. At KPMG we admire these companies, their teams and the leaders that drive them and are privileged to be associated with these awards that recognise their achievements. We look forward to being able to celebrate all of these stories of success and send our best wishes to each of the awards participants.”
Ian Hyland, publisher of Business & Finance, welcomed the launch, saying: ‘The 2021 Business & Finance Awards Programme will embrace and reflect the dynamic global market in which Irish businesses operate, particularly in a post-COVID world. This year’s awards will follow and recognise outstanding entrepreneurs, business leaders and leadership teams on their journey into what is now a new normal for business’ “
Business & Finance Awards MBA Scholarship
The Awards Programme is proud to announce its partnership with the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School to offer a full MBA Scholarship to join the full-time MBA, Executive MBA or the Modular Executive MBA in August 2021.
Through this partnership, the Business & Finance Awards Programme aims to champion the leaders of tomorrow by supporting their journey through the MBA experience.
The Business & Finance Awards and UCD Michael Smurfit MBA Scholarship will be awarded to a high-calibre applicant who will represent the world’s next generation of business leaders. The scholarship is open to professionals. This unparalleled scholarship will provide the student with a unique experience that encompasses opportunities to engage and network with senior business leaders, receive mentoring outside the classroom, which will bridge the gap between academia and the business world.
To apply or find out more click here.
Pictured L-R – Seamus Hand, Managing Partner of KPMG Ireland and Frances Ruane, Chairperson of the Judging Panel
Gala Awards Ceremony April 2022
On 12th April 2022, the Awards Programme will welcome the executive business community to the Convention Centre Dublin to honour the businesses leaders and corporations that have persevered across an extraordinary 2021. The Gala Awards Ceremony will include contributions from a range of Irish and International business, political and social leaders. In 2019, Dalata Plc was the recipient of the ‘Company of the Year’ award. Pat McCann, the company’s CEO, in an interview with Business & Finance, said winning ‘Company of the Year’ gave Dalata the “stamp of approval,” and helped them view their business objectively: “The problem is that when you’re in a business, you’re always looking at it from an inside view, but what do people on the outside think of your business? So of course when you get something like this, it does give you a little bit of a pep in your step to continue on and to actually improve what you’re doing.”
These awards have been recognising business leaders in Ireland for 47 years, so it is a great honour to be amongst so many inspirational leaders.
Anne O’Leary was the recipient of the coveted Business Person of the Year award in 2019, an achievement she called a “great honour.” In an interview, she said: “These awards have been recognising business leaders in Ireland for 47 years, so it is a great honour to be amongst so many inspirational leaders.
“It is so important to meet people who may be facing the same challenges as you, who may be able to help you or connect you to the right people who can help your business.
“The Business & Finance Awards does this by bringing business leaders together, allowing them to stay connected throughout the year. The strength of this network encourages cross-collaboration between an array of industries in Ireland.”
Business & Finance Awards
Business & Finance was launched in 1964 as Ireland’s first business magazine with the Awards programme established a decade later. The Business & Finance Awards is Ireland’s premier business awards programme and includes among its previous honorees outstanding leaders of our time across business, politics and wider society. This includes former United States President Bill Clinton, former British Prime Minister Sir John Major, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, President Michael D. Higgins, former ECB President Mario Draghi, former Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Senator George Mitchell, and Sir Bob Geldof, among others.
Nominations
Nominations for this year’s Awards Programme are now open until Autumn 2021. Nominations are chosen as part of the Business & Finance monthly acknowledgements of Company of the Month, Business Person of the Month and FDI of the Month as well as nominations from our judging panel. If you wish to submit a nomination contact aideen.buggy@businessandfinance.com or through our website.
For more information on the 47th annual Business & Finance Awards see www.businessandfinanceawards.com.
