Irish companies to battle it out for tech company of year award

Awards seek to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation in digital technologies

Workhuman chief technology officer and Chair of Technology Ireland Jonathan;  Una Fitzpatrick, director of Technology Ireland; Carol Gibbins, head of ICT and international services, Enterprise Ireland; and Paul Swift, head of technology sector, Bank of Ireland at the launch of the   Technology Ireland Industry Awards. Photograph: Ibec
Workhuman chief technology officer and Chair of Technology Ireland Jonathan; Una Fitzpatrick, director of Technology Ireland; Carol Gibbins, head of ICT and international services, Enterprise Ireland; and Paul Swift, head of technology sector, Bank of Ireland at the launch of the Technology Ireland Industry Awards. Photograph: Ibec

Ireland's technology companies are set to fight it out for the accolade of technology company of the year, with the launch of the Technology Ireland Industry Awards.

Now in its 27th year, the awards, run by Ibec group Technology Ireland, seek to highlight successful entrepreneurship and innovation in digital technologies in Ireland. Among the sponsors this year are EY Ireland, Bank of Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Workhuman.

"With the indigenous digital technology companies growing exports by 6 per cent to €2.2 billion in 2018, we expect this year's awards to be hotly contested," director of Technology Ireland Una Fitzpatrick said.

Commitment

There are eight categories in the awards, including Digital Technology Company of the Year, Emerging Technology Company of the Year, Technology Innovation of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in International Growth, Digital Technology Services Project of the Year, Excellence in Talent Development Award and Outstanding Academic Achievement of the Year.

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The newest addition, the Women in Technology Company Award, makes a return after its debut in 2018. The award recognises a company’s commitment to attracting, retaining and developing women across its workforce.

"A continued commitment by industry is needed to increase the participation of women in senior roles and leadership positions. Increasing the number of women in technology has the potential to broaden the talent pipeline, boost company performance and foster more inclusive workplaces," said Jonathan Hyland chief technology officer at Workhuman and chair of Technology Ireland.

The award led to the development of the Business for Digital Tech Women initiative, which aims to speed up national action on gender balance in businesses employing ICT workers.

Previous winners of the awards include ecommerce company Eshopworld, chip design company Movidius, HR software group Globoforce and travel tech platform CarTrawler.

The awards are set to take place on November 22nd in The Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist