Galway native makes national award shortlist

The Galway woman who founded an international communications business will feature in the second episode of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards television series next Monday at 8pm on UTV Ireland.

Mountbellew native Denise Tormey, founder of international business PlanNet21, graduated with an honours degree in Business Studies and IT.

She spent five years in Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant and specialised in several finance roles including Treasury Management, Financial Accounting and Management Accounting before crossing over into ERP systems and business analysis.

The world of Information Technology appealed to her entrepreneurial spirit and so she opted to start PlanNet21 Communications, which currently employs 75 staff in Ireland.

The company rapidly established itself as Ireland’s Premier ICT Solutions and Integration partner and subsequently expanded operations into Europe and Asia. PlanNet21’s Global client base includes many of the Fortune 100 companies

Denise now spends most of her days in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area of San Francisco, focusing on building bridges between US companies and their overseas operations, by offering agile and intelligent technology solutions to businesses expanding into EMEA and emerging markets.

The five-part television series will take an in-depth look at the 24 EOY 2015 finalists who have displayed exceptional entrepreneurial skills and business acumen in recent years, and the successful business behind each entrepreneur.

The prestigious business awards programme is divided into three categories – Emerging, Industry and International – with 8 finalists chosen per category. The 24 finalists were selected by an independent panel of judges made up of former EOY winners and chaired by businesswoman Anne Heraty, CEO of CPL Resources Plc.

Each category winner will be announced at the televised Awards Gala held on October 22 in Dublin, with one of the three category winners being named the 2015 EY Entrepreneur of the Year.

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme is supported by Enterprise Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland.