Cork trio among EY Entrepreneur finalists
Three Cork-based businesspeople are among 24 finalists in one of the most prestigious entrepreneur awards.
Aidan & Hilary O’Shea of Otonomee, Conor Buckley of Granite Digital and Brian McGrath of MSL Engineering Limited are finalists in the 2025 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland programme. Otonomee and Granite Digital work with and provide support solutions for some of the world’s biggest brands including TikTok and Google. MSL Engineering Limited fabricate and install equipment and platforms with multi-nationals and Irish companies.
They will compete with 21 other shortlisted entrepreneurs spanning a range of sectors including consumer, technology, media, health, life sciences, manufacturing and financial services. Collectively this group of world class business leaders are already generating annual revenues approaching €1 billion, employing over 4,000 people.
The finalists hail from across the island of Ireland and will compete across three categories - Emerging, Established and International - with a special Sustainability Award presented to the finalist who is making the biggest contribution towards environmental sustainability through their business. One overall winner will be selected as The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 at a gala awards ceremony which will take place in November.
Aidan & Hilary O’Shea of Otonomee are competing in the Emerging category.
Conor Buckley of Granite Digital and Brian McGrath of MSL Engineering Limited are competing in the International category.
Roger Wallace, Partner Lead for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland said: “This is the 28th year of the Entrepreneur of the Year programme on the island of Ireland, and with every year the bar is raised higher in terms of the quality of the impressive entrepreneurs that submitted nominations. I know that our judging panel had a seriously difficult job selecting our 24 incredible finalists.
“From well known and loved consumer brands to pioneering life science and technology businesses, and so much more in between, our finalists lead outstanding businesses creating opportunities and employment across Ireland. The creation of world class businesses from Ireland has never been more important and our 24 finalists are leading the way,” he said.
“Our finalists are exploring new markets and technologies to solve challenges and find solutions that will revolutionise their own industries, confirming Ireland’s exceptional reputation as a centre of excellence for innovation and business.”
This year’s finalists have been shortlisted by an independent judging panel of previous winners, chaired by Harry Hughes, CEO of Portwest and Chairperson of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Judging Panel.
He said: “We were so impressed with the outstanding calibre of all of the nominations received for the programme this year. Selecting just 24 finalists was an incredibly challenging task but I am thrilled to congratulate this year’s finalists and extend a very warm welcome into the EOY community. An immensely valuable experience now awaits each of them and I wish them every success as they embark on this journey and join this extraordinary group of passionate, courageous individuals who are truly driving Irish entrepreneurship forward.”
Since its inception, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland community has grown to a tight-knit network of more than 650 alumni who harness each other’s wealth of experience, with three quarters (75%) conducting business with one another. Together, the EOY alumni community generates revenues of €25bn, and employs more than 250,000 people across the island of Ireland.