John Lunn from Lunn’s, one of the leading jewellers in the UK & Ireland, established in 1954, and siblings Paul Vallely and Clare Walsh, who founded Newry-based rugs retailer Kukoon 20 years ago, are among five firms from the north among the finalists in this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards programme.
Both are included in the ‘Established’ category of the long-established awards initiative and join a total of 24 finalists in a nine-month strategic growth programme which includes a week-long retreat to Canada later this year.
The three other finalists from Northern Ireland are included in the International category of the EY awards programme, which is now in its 29th year.
They are Brian Moloney of Belfast-based StormHarvester, a specialist in real-time wastewater network monitoring; Maire Claire Reid of TST Group, a transport and logistics company based in Ballymena; and Paul, Gary and Mike Martin of Martin Group, a family run real estate investment and development company headquartered in Derry.
The 24 finalists – who EY says collectively employ 3,000 people and have combined revenues of almost €1 billion – represent a diverse range of sectors, including consumer, technology, health and construction, as well as varied growth stages and entrepreneurial stories that reflect the continued strength of the entrepreneurship landscape across Ireland.
Rob Heron, partner lead for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year initiative in Northern Ireland, said: “Entrepreneurship in 2026 looks very different to even a few years ago.
“We are operating in a world shaped by geopolitical instability, rapid advances in AI and a level of economic uncertainty that demands creativity as much as resilience. Our finalists this year have not only adapted to this environment, but are shaping it.
“The 2026 cohort brings together entrepreneurs who are rethinking the possibilities of technology, from building stand-out consumer brands and advancing health and life‑sciences innovation, to delivering smarter construction and infrastructure solutions and creating entirely new business models from the ground up.
“They are creating jobs, solving complex challenges and opening doors to opportunities that did not exist before.”
Mr Heron added: “The ingenuity and ambition we see across these 24 finalists reminds us why backing entrepreneurs matters now more than ever. They push boundaries, they take risks and they create the conditions for Northern Ireland to thrive in a volatile world.
“I am genuinely excited to welcome them into the EY Entrepreneur of the Year community and to support their journeys in the months ahead.”
Since its inception, the EoY programme has recognised and supported more than 680 entrepreneurs, creating a powerful all island community known for its collaboration and peer to peer learning.
This year’s finalists were short-listed by an independent judging panel of previous winners, chaired by Harry Hughes, chief executive of Portwest.