TestReach Co-founders Shortlisted for 2023 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland Final
Sheena Bailey and Louella Morton, co-CEOs and co-founders of TestReach have today been named among the finalists for the 2023 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme.
A total of 29 people, representing 24 companies from across Ireland will compete across three categories, Emerging, Established and International with a special Sustainability Award presented to the finalist who is making the biggest contribution towards environmental sustainability. The TestReach co-founders has been shortlisted for the Established Award category.
TestReach, headquartered at NexusUCD in Dublin, was founded by Sheena and Louella 2014, and provides an innovative online assessment solution for the creation, delivery, management and analysis of examinations.
TestReach’s computer-based assessment solution is used by professional associations, public agencies, universities, and corporations to run secure, online examinations. TestReach covers all areas of exam creation and rollout including question development and exam paper assembly, computer-based exam delivery (with or without online supervision), detailed marking, moderation and exam results analysis.
The company is now working in partnership with over 100 examining bodies, examining candidates in over 150+ countries and employs a staff of 100+.
Louella Morton, co-CEO and co-founder, TestReach said, “On behalf of myself and Sheena we are delighted to have been shortlisted for the prestigious EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards. It is a great honour for us and the entire TestReach team and recognises the company’s significant scaling on the global stage, especially over the last number of years.”
The shortlisted entrepreneurs for this year’s Awards span a range of sectors including technology, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, retail, consumer products and engineering and the theme for this year’s Award programme is “the art of entrepreneurship”.
Collectively, the finalists generate annual revenues of more than €700 million and employs about 5,000 people.
Roger Wallace, Partner Lead for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme said, “We received a record-number of nominations for this year’s programme and the highest ever number of nominations for female entrepreneurs which we are delighted to see.”
“This year’s finalists represent a broad spectrum of industries, including technology, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, retail, consumer products, and engineering to name but a few. Our finalists come from diverse backgrounds and communities across Ireland north and south, showcasing the depth of entrepreneurial spirit and talent running through the island.”
This year’s finalists have been shortlisted out of more than 150 nominations by an independent judging panel of previous winners, chaired by Anne Heraty, Founder of CPL Resources Plc, and EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2006.
Anne Heraty said, “The calibre and number of nominations received for this year’s programme was incredibly high. The process of selecting 24 finalists posed a very real challenge to our judging panel. It highlighted in a very big way that the spirit of entrepreneurship in Ireland is very much alive and thriving and gives much hope for optimism for the future of our island.”
“I would like to congratulate this year’s finalists and extend a very warm welcome into the EOY community. I know first-hand just how incredible an experience awaits them and I along with my fellow alumni I look forward to them playing a valuable part in our network.”
Since its inception, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland™ community has grown to a tight-knit network of more than 600 alumni who harness each other’s wealth of experience, with three quarters (75%) conducting business with one another. Together, the EOY alumni community generates revenues of €25 billion, and employs more than 250,000 people across the island of Ireland.
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme is supported by Premium Corporate Sponsor Julius Baer International, and Government sponsors Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland.
Information on the other entrepreneurs shortlisted for the 2023 Awards is available via https://www.ey.com/en_ie/entrepreneur-of-the-year.
In 2022 Sheena Bailey and Louella Morton received the 2022 NovaUCD Founder of the Year Award and the company was ranked in 15th place in the 2022 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards which highlight Ireland’s fastest growing technology organisations.
An award is presented for each category, and an overall winner will be announced at the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards in November. The overall winner will represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Awards in June 2024.
ENDS
13 April 2023
For further information contact Micéal Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, UCD Research and Innovation, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie
Editors Notes
TestReach provides an innovative online assessment solution for the creation, delivery, management and analysis of high-stake examinations. The solution includes the option of remote invigilation, where a team of trained supervisors connect to exam candidates via video, audio and screen share to maintain the integrity of the test. Working with leading assessment providers worldwide, TestReach is transforming the delivery of examinations, making them easier to manage and more secure, as well as flexible and convenient for the exam candidate. www.testreach.com
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ programme is a global recognition programme run in 145 cities in more than 60 countries. Currently in its 26th year in Ireland, the programme works to recognise, promote, and build a supportive community around Ireland’s high-growth entrepreneurs and is considered one of the strongest programmes globally.
Emerging: Nominees in the Emerging category run businesses that have been trading for a minimum of two years. They are ambitious entrepreneurs who have started a business which is growing quickly. They are high potential, dynamic, resourceful and ‘ones-to-watch’ for the future.
Established: Established, longstanding businesses with a pedigree of growth and innovation, contributing significantly as employers on the Island of Ireland. Including some of our greatest family businesses, our Established finalists are market leaders in their sectors and have made a significant contribution to the economy over a considerable period of time.
International: The International category consists of entrepreneurs who are global players. Their companies operate in multiple markets across the globe and can be headquartered here in Ireland or overseas.
The Sustainability Award: Recognising the critical importance of innovation leadership in meeting our collective sustainability challenges, we are introducing the new Sustainability award to the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland programme.