Ontario entrepreneurs combine top talent with ambition to innovate

Finalists announced for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Ontario program

TORONTO, July 10, 2018 /CNW/ - Each year EY recognizes entrepreneurs who drive growth, live outside the box and disrupt with purpose. Today, the firm has named 46 finalists across 9 categories in its EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^®Awards 2018 Ontario program.  

"Ontario is home to a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem," says Paula Smith, Entrepreneur Of The Year Ontario Program Co-Director. "The region offers a booming innovation landscape for entrepreneurs at every stage of their growth journey. Over 40% of the companies in this year's program have been in business less than 10 years – responding to rapidly changing demands and expectations – while a number of long-standing family businesses are successfully evolving to get ahead of disruption."

"The Ontario program continues to see a strong presence in traditional sectors like financial services and healthcare, while increased nominations from the technology sector are shaking things up," says Elena Doucette, Entrepreneur Of The Year Ontario Program Co-Director. "These businesses may be different but share a common theme: they're navigating today's competitive landscape with renewed energy and focus on providing creative solutions to drive growth."

Ontario cities are gaining global recognition as hubs for innovation and top talent. Companies are capitalizing on home-grown talent while drawing skilled international expertise into the region. Mid-market companies around the world surveyed in the 2018 EY Growth Barometer identified talent as a key enabler of accelerating growth. This year's Ontario finalists currently employ 15,500 people and generate annual revenues of over $3 billion.

For 25 years, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Awards program has recognized the achievements of Canada's entrepreneurial trailblazers – recognizing more than 3,800 finalists and presenting more than 1,000 awards to inspiring Canadian entrepreneurs.

View the full list of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Ontario finalists

What's next?

The Ontario finalists will come together on 25 October 2018 in Toronto, where EY will name one winner in each of the nine categories selected by the independent panel of judges. One of those category winners will be named the overall Ontario Entrepreneur Of The Year and will later compete with regional winners from Atlantic, Québec, Prairies and Pacific for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Canada title. The Canadian winner will go on to compete with winners from across the globe for the title of EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year in June 2019.

More information

Follow @EYCanada, #EOYCanada and #EOYOntario on Twitter for the latest event updates.

Visit ey.com/ca/eoy for more program details and information on how to attend one of the regional galas across the country.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^®

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries. ey.com/eoy

The 2018 Ontario independent judging panel consists of Andy Burgess, Managing Partner, Russel Square Partners; Anne Sado, President, George Brown College; Code Cubitt, Founder & Managing Director, Mistral Venture Partners; Gerald Slemko, CEO, Trudell Medical; Lisa Melchior, President & Founder, VERTU Capital; Mark Gordon, Managing Director, Oncap; and Steve Faraone, Managing Partner, Peloton Capital.

This year's program national sponsors are ICI RDI, The TMX Group, The Globe and Mail Inc., Media One Creative, Merrill Corporation, Kira Talent, Air Canada and The Printing House Limited. Ontario regional sponsors are BNN, TEC Canada and Steam Whistle Brewing.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

For more information, please visit ey.com/ca. Follow us on Twitter @EYCanada.

EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

SOURCE EY (Ernst & Young)