EY reveals the category winners for the Entrepreneur of the Year competition and are now competing for the highly coveted, Entrepreneur of the Year award.
From a wide-ranging list of entrepreneurs who have created solutions for beauty, financial literacy, marketing and so much more, EY have revealed the top five.
The winners are considered by Director of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year, New Zealand, Jason Macgregor as trailblazers who will “empower future generations of innovators by showing how individuals can impact their industries”.
“Our group of finalists showed the diversity of the entrepreneurial industry in New Zealand. While they all work in different industries, the winner’s share characteristics of determination, extreme focus, and a drive to succeed,” he says.
“We also noticed an increased awareness of social issues coming through in the finalists and ultimately the category winners. They all showed an incredible willingness to take risks and be bold in pursing outcomes, whilst being aware of their own and staff wellbeing.”
Michael Walker of BlackBull Markets, Craig Piggott of Halter, Miria Flavell of HINE Collection, Sam Bridgewater and Maia Royal of The Pure Food Co, and Jonny Hendriksen of Shuttlerock are the 2024 winners of EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year.
Judges have also awarded a Highly Commended title to Ehsan Vaghefi of Toku Eyes.
Read more: EY announces 2024 NZ Entrepreneur of the Year finalists
“While there was a high calibre of finalists, what stood out with our category winners was their resilience through what we know has been a tough environment in New Zealand,” says Cecilia Robinson, Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Chair of Judges and competition alumna.
“These phenomenal entrepreneurs have shown how they addressed a problem in society, found their niche, tackled hardship, and ultimately combined passion, purpose and profitability in their path to success.”
Alongside Robinson, the judges say that the winners are delivering across different fields and developing meaningful solutions that strike a chord with their target audience.
Michael Walker of BlackBull Markets won the Young Entrepreneur award, Craig Piggott of Halter won Tech and Emerging Entrepreneur award, Miria Flavell of HINE Collection takes the Product Entreprenuer award, Sam Bridgewater and Maia Royal of The Pure Food Co receive the Service Entrepreneur award and Jonny Hendriksen of Shuttlerock won the Master Category award.
These category award winners will now compete for the ultimate title of EY Entrepreneur of the Year for 2024.
“This year’s winners are leaders in addressing the important challenges of today, as well as looking forward to the betterment of the future. Whether they are addressing inequalities with inclusive activewear, creating innovative nutrition solutions, or building creative technology tools, we think this year’s winners have exciting futures,” ends Macgregor.
