Brian O’Sullivan, founder and chief executive of Zeus Packaging, has been named the International and overall 2021 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year.

Zeus is one of the largest privately owned packaging companies in Europe and was established in 1998. O’Sullivan has expanded by acquisition, and its must recent purchase was Limerick Packaging.

The Zeus group employs c.670 people with a turnover of over c.€300m.

Brian O’Sullivan stated: “I am deeply honoured to be named EY Entrepreneur of the Year, and humbled to be chosen from a field of candidates who have impressed and inspired me so much throughout the competition.

“Entrepreneurship is about hard work and dedication, but also about collaboration. This win recognises the effort and drive of everyone at Zeus. We have set ambitious goals which we consistently surpass, allowing us to double our turnover in the last five years.

In Association with

“Our goal now is to bring our turnover to €500m in in the next five years, by prioritising innovation, people and sustainability.”

David Henderson, managing director of Tobermore, was selected as Industry Entrepreneur of the Year. The NI venture was founded in 1942 and manufactures paving products. Henderson joined the family firm in 1976 and became MD in 1987. Tobermore employs over 400 people.

The awards judging panel selected Aimee Connolly, founder and CEO of cosmetics business Sculpted By Aimee, as the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year. The company is on track for revenue of €8m in 2021.

Anne Heraty, chair of the judging panel, commented: “Each of our winners has displayed a potent combination of vision, innovation and determination that has been crucial to their success.”

The other members of the judging panel were Michael Carey, Mark Roden, Evelyn O’Toole, Edmond Harty, Joe Hogan, Jerry Kennelly, Richard Kennedy, Harry Hughes, Denis O’Brien, Jennifer Melia and Jeremy Fitch.

EY said that judging criteria centred on innovation; value creation; strategic direction; financial performance; national and global impact; and the entrepreneur’s contribution to society and industry.

The annual awards ceremony was held as a primarily virtual event at the Powerscourt Hotel in Co. Wicklow. The Gala Awards ceremony is available to view on RTÉ Player.

Photo: Brian O’Sullivan (centre) with Aimee Connolly and David Henderson. (Pic: Naoise Culhane)