Winners of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year. (Patrick Joy from Suretank, centre) Photograph: Aidan Crawley.
A graduate of UCD Mechanical Engineering, Patrick Joy of Louth-based manufacturer Suretank, was named, in October, the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 at a gala awards ceremony held in Dublin.
Headquartered in Dunleer, Suretank is the world’s largest manufacturer of cargo-carrying units for the offshore oil and gas industry. Holding a 62 per cent global market share, it is also the leader in the transport tank industry. It employs 600 people and has revenues of more than €68 million.
Mr Joy was presented with the Entrepreneur of the Year title by Mike McKerr of Ernst & Young. “I’m absolutely flabbergasted. I must thank my employees at Suretank. Without them, the business would not be where it is today,” Mr Joy said upon receiving the award.
In a message to aspiring entrepreneurs, Mr Joy said: “You have to have ambition. You have to believe in yourself. No matter what you do in business, you’re going to have knockbacks.”
As for the future, Mr Joy said he was expecting fewer meetings and a slightly easier working day: “I’ve just taken over as chairman and taken on a CEO,” he said.
He beat competition from fellow finalists Brian Hogan of KSG and Kieran Fitzpatrick and Maurice Curran of Barracuda FX to be crowned overall winner. Mr Hogan won the award for Industry EY Entrepreneur of the Year while Kieran Fitzpatrick and Maurice Curran of Barracuda FX, were named as winners of the emerging category.
Earlier in the night, Mr Joy was named winner of the International category.
He will now go on to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards in Monte Carlo next June, where he will compete with more than 50 leading entrepreneurs from across the globe.
“An integral part of the Entrepreneur of the Year programme is to encourage entrepreneurs to think global and become global,” said Frank O’Keeffe, partner-in-charge of EY Entrepreneur of the Year.
“Suretank has scaled to become a market leader in the fiercely competitive offshore oil industry and has achieved this from their headquarters in Co Louth. Patrick’s big thinking and uncanny ability to compete and dominate in the global arena should serve as an inspiration to us all,” he added.