Recogising Success - Cork Company of the Year Awards 2020

Reco gnising Success

Cork Company of the Year Awards in association with Vodafone Ireland and media partner the Irish Examiner

The most innovative of Cork businesses were presented with the prestigious Cork Company of the Year Awards 2020 at Cork Chamber’s Annual Dinner held in Cork City Hall.

Run in association with Vodafone Ireland and media partner the Irish Examiner the Awards involve a thorough four-month judging process with an experienced mix of professionals from across the business community. The overall winner of the Cork Company of the Year 2020 was awarded to Irish Distillers.

Accepting the award on behalf of Irish Distillers, Paul Wickham, General Manager of Midleton Distilleries said: “We are truly honoured and humbled to receive the prestigious award of Cork Company of the Year. Led by Cork Chamber, our home county, where we have operated since 1825, is a vibrant, supportive and inspiring environment and is one of the best places in the world to do business. work and passion has put us on the world stage.”

Category winners include: • Emerging Company of the Year 2020 - WorkVivo whose internal communication platform is designed to increase employee engagement. • SME Company of the Year 2020 - AnaBio, whose mission is to improve health and performance through microencapsulation of sensitive functional ingredients. • Large Company of the Year 2020 - Crest Solutions, an engineering services provider to multinational Life Sciences clients in Ireland, UK, Europe and the US. • Corporate and Overall Company of the Year 2020 - Irish Distillers whose brands are driving a global renaissance of Irish whiskey. From Cork, Irish Distillers’ brands are exported to over 130 markets, with over 70 of those experiencing doubleor triple-digit growth in 2019.

There has never been a more exciting time for Irish whiskey and today Jameson is one of Ireland’s most recognised brands worldwide. This award is a tribute to the tireless dedication and excellence of all the craftsmen and women at Midleton and Dungourney, along with all the people who have worked with us through the centuries, whose hard

The 2020 Finalists were:

Paula Cogan, President of Cork Chamber, noted the remarkably high standard of shortlisted finalists, saying: “We know that there are so many companies in Cork always moving forward, driving innovation and growing teams. The Cork Company of the Year Awards provide a wonderful platform for Cork’s most pioneering businesses

Emerging Getvisibility Glavloc Workvivo

SME AnaBio Hopkins Communications Keelvar

Large Crest Solutions Rowa Pharmaceuticals Trigon Hotels

Corporate Clearsteam Irish Distillers MSD Brinny

to celebrate their success. Throughout this year’s judging process, it has been particularly exciting to meet companies that excel in sustainability, diversity and inclusion thus leading on delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals while also leaving a lasting mark on both Cork and the world. We would like to thank our longstanding award partners, Vodafone and our media partners the Irish Examiner for amplifying these awards.”

Debbie Power, IoT Country Manager, Vodafone Ireland added, “We are excited to once again be part of the Cork Company of the Year Awards. These awards showcase the very best of business talent in Cork each year by celebrating outstanding achievements within the local business community. The future is exciting for Cork, like the rest of the world it is embracing a technological revolution driven by 5G, the internet of things, artificial intelligence and data analytics. Vodafone enables this revolution through high-speed connectivity and our award-winning global network, allowing us to connect people and businesses worldwide.”

2020 Judging Panel:

John Higgins, EY (Chair); Paula Cogan, Cork Chamber President; Conor Healy, Cork Chamber; Debbie Power, Vodafone; Mary Power, Westboro Partners; Frank Walsh, Enterprise Equity; Thia Hennessy, Cork University Business School; Deirdre Waldron, Fuzion Communications; Orla Rimmington, Kernel Capital; DC Cahalane, Republic of Work; Mark Whitaker, Johnson & Perrott Motor Group; Hugh Smiddy, Tyndall National Institute.