Announcing the finalists for the 2019 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

We’re proud to once again support the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, for the 8th year in a row.

The awards celebrate New Zealand’s diverse mix of business leaders and entrepreneurs, those set to shape our business landscape today and tomorrow. Last night, members of New Zealand’s business community came together for the announcement of this year’s 16 finalists across five categories.

2019 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Finalists:

• Ajay Kumar Agarwal of Global Finance
• Olie Body of Wā Collective
• Richard Conway of Pure SEO
• Richard Corney and Matt Graylee of Raw Material
• Yi Huai Gao of Alpha Health Care (New Zealand) Ltd
• Mohammed Hikmit of HMI Technologies
• Murray Holdaway of Vista Group
• Shaun Holt of HoneyLab
• Ezel Kokcu of Passphere
• Grant Taylor of Rascal + Friends NZ Ltd
• Bron Thomson of Springload
• Chloe Van Dyke of Chia Sisters
• Brianne West of Ethique
• Stuart Wilson of Modica Group Ltd
• Gavin Yang of Trademonster Ltd
• Harry Zeng of New Zealand Healthcare Ltd

The 2019 award categories are:

• Products: Retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers of products from all industries
• Technology & Emerging: Software, hardware, telecommunications, digital media, biotechnology and health sciences
• Services: Providers of professional services (e.g. financial, engineering, architecture, real estate, property, recreation and leisure)
• Young: Entrepreneurs 35 years or younger across all industries
• Master: Leaders of well-established businesses which have a significant commitment to entrepreneurship

Those who participate in the program experience invaluable networking and business opportunities, meeting other EY alumni, sponsors and media, alongside the chance to further their business development.

The winners of each category will be announced in September, judged by an independent panel of previous winners and Kiwi business leaders, with the overall New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year for 2019 announced at the awards evening in October. The overall winner will represent New Zealand at EY’s World Entrepreneur Of The Year event in Monte Carlo in 2020 where 150 cities across 60 countries participate with each national winner representing their country.

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services, committed to developing outstanding leaders and celebrating international entrepreneurial excellence.

For tips and ideas on how to start, run or grow your own business, see ASB guides and tools on our online hub today.