Riverdance, Irish Gifts, Food and Fashion took centre stage.
Glenisk awarded Business of the Year and Dr. Maire Geoghegan-Quinn awarded special recognition.
Friday 22nd March 2024: Guaranteed Irish, proudly sponsored by PTSB, celebrated 50 years supporting businesses in Ireland last night.
Winners were announced at a Gala dinner in the RDS where 400 people enjoyed networking and celebrating their achievements over the past year. Hosted by Oliver Callan, a surprise Riverdance act led to the celebratory mood as guests enjoyed networking with the best of business in Ireland, both indigenous and multinational, across various sectors.
Picking up the Guaranteed Irish Business of the Year award was Glenisk, who employ over 80 people across Ireland and contribute so generously to their community. Guaranteed Irish Special Recognition Award for 2024 was Dr. Maire Geoghegan-Quinn. Dr. Geoghegan-Quinn chaired an independent panel of experts in a national review addressing systemic gender inequality in higher education resulting in a published report in 2016.
An independent panel of distinguished industry leaders from names including An Post, Aer Rianta, FBD Insurance, and IDA Ireland amongst others, had the tough task of shortlisting a total of 174 finalists after whittling down hundreds of entries. The categories this year included Beauty & Fashion; Construction, Engineering & Manufacturing; Craft, Home & Gifting; E-Commerce; Food & Beverage; Pharmaceutical, Healthcare & MedTech; Professional Services; Retail, Tourism; and Technology.
The Guaranteed Irish Achievement Awards attract much interest and include the coveted ‘One To Watch’ and ‘Advocate within a Business’ awards.
Brid O’Connell, CEO Guaranteed Irish, said: “What a start to the year we have had, we have launched a Guaranteed Irish stamp and a new advertising campaign “The Guarantee of Guaranteed Irish”, and we close out Q1 with this Gala event to celebrate with our members and to acknowledge the 50 years of Guaranteed Irish. I wish to acknowledge our Judges, who had a difficult decision this year as the number, and calibre of entries were exceptionally high. The event was sold out weeks in advance, so we hope all who were able to attend had a night to remember.
Congratulations to all our winners - We have been overwhelmed with the reception to and interest in the awards this year, we are delighted to have sold out a large venue such as the RDS. It is fantastic to be able to celebrate Ireland’s leading businesses who continue to support Irish jobs, community and provenance.”
Speaking to the Awards, Patrick Farrell, Director of Retail Banking at PTSB, said:
As an Irish business ourselves, PTSB is honoured to partner with Guaranteed Irish in recognising the determination, innovation and contribution of so many wonderful, locally-based businesses across the country. We were delighted to sponsor the 50th anniversary awards ceremony and celebrate the hard work, focus and creativity that has been shown by so many over the last year and I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to each of the winners and nominees across all categories.’’
Guaranteed Irish Business Awards 2024 Winners:
Family Run Business, sponsored by Energia
Winner: Glenisk
Beauty, sponsored by An Post
Winner: Pestle & Mortar
Irish Fashion and Accessories Designer sponsored by Aer Rianta International
Winner: John Hanly & Co
Construction Engineering & Construction Manufacturing or Supply , sponsored by Cedral
Winner Construction & Engineering: Trident Controls
Winner Construction Manufacturing or Supply: Wavin Ireland
Guaranteed Irish House Champion, sponsored by Cedral
Winner: Kilsaran
Sustainability Champion, sponsored by Viatel Technology Group
Winner: Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel & Spa
Home & Lifestyle & Guaranteed Irish Gift Champion, sponsored by Harvey Norman
Home & Lifestyle Winner: ULTRAPURE Laboratories
Guaranteed Irish Gift Champion: Irish Socksciety
E-Commerce, sponsored by ESW
Winner: Select
Technology, sponsored by Nostra
Winner: Viatel Technology Group
Food & Beverage, sponsored by SuperValu & Centra
Food Supplier or Producer Winner: Glenisk
Beverage Supplier or Producer Winner: Kinsale Mead Co.
Pharmaceutical and MedTech & Healthcare sponsored by Matheson
Winner Pharmaceutical & MedTech: Consilient Health
Winner Healthcare: Soothing Solutions
Professional Services & Business Support Solutions sponsored by FBD Insurance
Professional Services Winner: Community Credit Union
Business Support Solutions Winner: Codex
Retail sponsored by STP Packaging
Winner: Global Home Improvements
Tourism, sponsored by Ryanair
Tourism Winner: Clonakilty Blackpudding Visitor Centre
Guaranteed Irish Brand Activation Champion: Positive Retail
Guaranteed Irish One to Watch: The Lunch Bag
Guaranteed Irish Sustainability Champion sponsored by Viatel Technology Group: Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel & Spa
Guaranteed Irish Advocate within a Business: Sharon Hoey, AndTate
Guaranteed Irish Special Recognition Award: Dr. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn