TR AN S FO R M I N G CO R K
R ecognising Your Success Launch of the Cork Company of the Year Awards 2020
These awards provide an excellent platform to champion your success
The Cork Company of the Year Awards, run by Cork Chamber in association with Vodafone, are recognised as being the most prestigious and esteemed business awards in the region. Now in its 22nd year the awards celebrate the best of Cork business from emerging businesses, to SMEs, large indigenous and multinational organisations. The four award categories are: 1 Emerging Cork Company of the Year (less than 5 years in business 2 Cork SME Company of the Year (less than 50 employees) 3 Cork Large Company of the Year (50- 200 employees) 4 Cork Corporate of the Year (more than 200 employees) Paula Cogan, President of Cork Chamber said; “Together with our sponsors Vodafone Ireland and media partner Irish Examiner we are excited to launch the Cork Company of the Year Awards 2020. These awards offer Cork businesses an excellent platform to champion their success and shine a spotlight on the innovation happening everyday across businesses of all sectors and sizes. Over the years we have seen significant growth from both winners and finalists, who have used the programme to increase their visibility, reward staff and assess operations. Throughout this year’s judging process, we are particularly keen to hear from those companies that offer excellence in sustainability, diversity and inclusion thus leading on delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
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Speaking at the launch, Brendan O’Regan, Executive Chairman and Founder of Zenith, winner of the overall 2019 Cork Company of the Year said, ‘’The Cork Company of the Year Award was hugely significant for the company and the people that drive it with ingenuity and passion every day. It was great for the company to be recognised like this and gave us a huge boost locally and internationally, also greatly assisting in our talent retention and acquisition.’’
Taken at the launch of the Cork Chamber Cork Company of the Year 2020 in the Glandore Offices: Conor Healy, CEO Cork Chamber, Debbie Power, IoT Country Manager at Vodafone and Paula Cogan, President of Cork Chamber. Pictures: Darragh Kane
Brendan O’Regan, Executive Chairman and Founder of Zenith
Frank Fleming, CEO of Verifish.
Frank Fleming, CEO of Verifish and Winner of the Emerging Category 2019 added, ‘’The new contacts we made, at and around the event, have developed into long term business relationships which have had a very positive effect on our business. The increased profile the award brought us has also been hugely beneficial. I would recommend any emerging company to get involved.’’
The strength of the awards lies in a detailed judging process managed by an experienced panel of business leaders, who meticulously review each application across three phases.
IoT Country Manager, Vodafone Ireland, Debbie Power added, “We are excited to once again be part of the Cork Company of the Year Awards, which each year showcases the very best of business talent in Cork by celebrating outstanding achievements within the local business community. Vodafone Ireland is committed to supporting companies which embrace today’s dynamic landscape with innovation and adaptive work practises. These awards provide an excellent opportunity for teams to come together to share and learn from this process.”
The judging process is cited by many entrants, finalists and winners as being a real learning opportunity to examine key parts of their business. Coupled with the extensive profile that finalists receive across multiple print and digital platforms, the judging process is invaluable. Winners in each category along with the Overall Cork Company of the Year will be announced at the Cork Chamber Annual Dinner, 7 February 2020, one of the largest business events of the year, where close to 1000 business people, including the country’s leading business and political figures will be in attendance.