A total of 174 of Ireland's leading entrepreneurs were made fellows of the DCU Ryan Academy of Entrepreneurship at a ceremony held in the academy's campus at Citywest yesterday.
The entrepreneurs were all finalists of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 1998-2006 and were invited to join the fellowship as part of the academy's partnership with the programme.
Among the group were last year's winner Anne Heraty of CPL Group, 2005 winner Aidan Heavey of Tullow Oil and Denis O'Brien, chairman of Digicel and Communicorp and also winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 1998.
The Ryan Academy is a joint initiative between Dublin City University (DCU) and the family of Dr Tony Ryan.
Over the next five months it will host the inaugural strategic leadership series for its fellows in conjunction with Ernst & Young. The series of one-day masterclasses will cover topics such as strategic branding, growth, financing and leadership, and will be hosted at the academy by leading practitioners and academics from DCU and international business schools.
