Business optimist makes national awards shortlist 

03 July 2015

Catherine O’Neill, Managing Director of Amelio Group - a Belfast-based firm which specialises in drainage and civil engineering - has made the shortlist for the 2015 EY Entrepreneur of the Year in the Emerging category.

The 26-year-old Queen’s engineering graduate set up her own business in her parents’ kitchen while still studying at University. It now employs over 50 staff and has offices in Belfast, Dublin and Gloucester, England, with plans to increase its market share in the coming months.

The 24 EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalists joined 100 entrepreneurs for a week-long CEO retreat to Berlin and Munich in June, as part of a 6-month development programme. There they experienced executive education with the European School of Management and Technology, site visits to companies such as BMW and masterclasses with key German decision makers.

Speaking to the Irish Times, the first class master’s graduate said: “One of the most useful pieces of advice I got has been in the form of the famous expression “a pessimist is a person who sees a difficulty in every opportunity.

“An optimist is a person who sees an opportunity in every difficulty”.

The Amelio team and I are optimists and we approach every difficulty as an opportunity to improve, to grow and to be innovative in dealing with usually common and/or reoccurring problems with a new and fresh approach based upon sound engineering expertise.”

In 2011 while studying at Queen’s Catherine won a number of prestigious prizes and awards including the Chartered Institute of Waste Management Prize and a Ministerial Bursary award presented by the Department for Regional Development.

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme is supported by Enterprise Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland, the Irish Times and Irish broadcaster, Newstalk. The finalists will be judged on a number of criteria including innovation, financial and the entrepreneur’s contribution to society and industry.

Those shortlisted in the 3 categories (Emerging, Industry and International) will find out their fate at an Awards Gala in October. The overall winner will then go on to represent Ireland at World Entrepreneur of the Year in Monaco in June 2016.

For more, contact the Amelio Group by email or telephone +44 (0)28 9066 8214.

Inquiries to Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office; tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5321.

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Photo: NI Business Now

           

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