A celebration of entrepreneurial talent and achievements in county
SOUTH Dublin Local Enterprise Office (LEO) celebrated the outstanding achievements and entrepreneurial spirit of local businesses at the Local Enterprise Awards South Dublin 2024 which took place at The Maldron Hotel, Tallaght on Thursday, March 7.
Hosted by Virgin Media broadcaster Elaine Crowley, the event drew an audience of over 50 shortlisted businesses, accompanied by their colleagues, family, and friends.
The proceedings commenced with the official opening address by Mayor Alan Edge, followed by insights from Jason Frehill, Director of Economic, Enterprise, and Tourism Development at South Dublin County Council and Tom Rooney, Head of LEO South Dublin, highlighting the pivotal role of entrepreneurship within the county.
The awards recognised nine category winners:
One to Watch: SomAwe Limited – Felicia Awe
Creative Economy (Scene): The Crochet Dolls – Arzu Gorbil
NEWS – Female Entrepreneur of the Year: K Factory Print and Embroidery Ltd – Krystyna Wittbrodt
Daniele di Tofano and Gary O’Neill of Scope Tickets winner in the Tech / Innovation category along with Elaine Crowley and Tom Rooney, LEO
Tech / Innovation: Scope Tickets – Daniele di Tofano and Gary O’Neill
Green Award: Pelko Ltd – Leo Mather
Ciara Yeates of Serigraf Ltd winner in the Entrepreneurial Spirit category along with Elaine Crowley, Colin Yeates and Tom Rooney, Head of LEO South Dublin.
Entrepreneurial Spirit: Serigraf Ltd – Ciara Yeates
Food & Drink: Chimac Sauces – Garret Fitzgerald
Ciaran and Sophie Maguire of Love Earth Green Solutions winner in the Export category along with Jason Frehill, Director of Economic, Enterprise, and Tourism Development at SDCC and Mayor Cllr Alan Edge
Export: Love Earth Green Solutions – Ciaran & Sophie Maguire
Start-up: The Smooth Company – Aine Kennedy Each category winner was awarded €1,000.
The Overall winner was Jim Dunne of Smart Studios who collected a €5,000 prize and he will go on to represent South Dublin in the National LEO Awards, taking place in May.
Jim Dunne of Smart Studios along with Sandra Hickey and Jason Frehill. Photo by Sasko Lazarov
Addressing the audience, Tom Rooney remarked: “These awards are a celebration of the entrepreneurial talent present in South Dublin and I commend all the winners, those shortlisted and indeed everyone who entered the awards for their valuable contributions to our local economy.”
Celebrating a decade of fostering entrepreneurship and innovation, the annual Local Enterprise Awards South Dublin 2024 showcase the vibrant enterprise landscape and the diverse talent and variety of business start-ups in the county.
These awards serve as a platform to showcase, support and promote the spirit of enterprise both locally and nationally attracted an exceptional level of interest this year, with a record number of applications received.
The awards took place during Local Enterprise Week which took place from March 4-8.
Local Enterprise Office South Dublin is part of a nationwide network of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) offering support to startups, the self-employed and small and medium enterprises.
The 31 LEOs are operated as a partnership between Enterprise Ireland and local authorities.
Learn more about LEO South Dublin on its website HERE.
