Global Goals Drive Success of 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Category Winners
Global ambitions are driving success for all five category winners in the 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards who were announced today.
The five inspiring category winners have built up diverse businesses, from text message marketing to noise reduction
technology, with a common ambition – to take on international markets in the entrepreneurial spirit that the global
awards celebrate.
The five category winners who will now compete for the overall title of Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year are:
Young Entrepreneur (aged 35 or under when applications closed): Aaron Ridgway of Datasquirt Limited, Auckland.
Retail, Consumer and Industrial Products: Dallas Fisher of NDA Group Limited, Hamilton.
Services including Financial Business, Property & Arts: Trish McLean of Retailworld Resourcing Limited, Auckland.
Technology, Communication and Biotechnology: Mark Donaldson of Phitek Systems Limited, Auckland.
Master Entrepreneur (for leaders of well established businesses which have a significant commitment to
entrepreneurship): Ashley Berrysmith of New Zealand Fresh Cuts Limited, Auckland.
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards director Jon Hooper said all five category winners are remarkable individuals who
have pioneered and developed innovative services and products.
“Kiwi ingenuity is well and truly represented among this year’s category winners. Their innovations include noise
reduction technology, hygienic milk storage, text message marketing, specialist retail recruitment and a wide range of
fresh vegetables delivered in the freshest possible state to a supermarket near you!
“These entrepreneurs have taken their innovations to local and overseas markets where they often compete successfully
against household names.
“For instance, Phitek has developed a noise reducing technology. In a 2007 New York Times review of the six hottest
noise cancellation headphones, three were designed and manufactured by Phitek,” he said.
Chairman of the judging panel, David Johnson, who is chief executive of Trends Publishing and the inaugural Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 1998, said this year’s category winners represent a wide cross-section of New
Zealand’s business community.
“It is fantastic to see winners who don’t necessarily have a high public profile yet but who are achieving great things
in New Zealand and globally. The Awards are an important way of showcasing our country’s entrepreneurial spirit,” he
said.
The overall winner will be announced at a banquet dinner on November 14, 2007 in Auckland and will compete for the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year title in June 2008.
ENDS