Food & Consumer Product entrepreneurs on Ireland’s biggest annual unofficial trade mission

Representatives from Northern Irish and Irish businesses are presently in Japan as part of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year CEO Retreat, which will enable them to participate in a comprehensive programme of executive coaching, education and networking.

The delegation of 140 of Ireland’s top entrepreneurs, including William McColgan of McColgan’s Fine Foods, Gary Lavin of VITHIT Drinks, Eoin Cluskey of Bread41 and Edward McCloskey of Waterwipes, are attending the retreat from Monday 26^th to Saturday 31^st May and will experience Japan’s vibrant culture and traditions.

This year’s retreat will visit sites of major business, academic and diplomatic importance across Japan. Key visits will include SoftBank Corporation HQ where the group will meet with SoftBank President Kunihiro Fujinaga and Executive Vice President Daichi Nozaki, a ‘Mini MBA’ experience at Hitotsubashi University, delivered by leading Japanese academics Professor Yoshinori Fujikawa and Professor Hiroshi Ono, and Ireland House Tokyo, the centre of Ireland’s diplomatic relations in Japan, where the group will meet with Ambassador of Ireland to Japan, Damien Cole. Later in the week the group will immerse themselves in Japanese culture in Kyoto before concluding with a visit to the World Expo in Osaka.

Japan is the world’s fourth largest economy with enduring strengths in areas including innovation, technology, automotive and manufacturing. The existing trade relationship between Ireland and Japan is strong with Japan positioned as Ireland’s second largest trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region. Many of the entrepreneurs travelling to Japan are already conducting business there, while others are seeking to expand their markets.

The delegation includes this year’s 24 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ finalists as well as programme alumni representing a broad spectrum of industries and representatives from Enterprise Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland and Julius Baer International.

Since its inception, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Ireland™ community has grown into a tight-knit network of 650 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 in excess of €25bn, and employs more than 250,000 people across the island of Ireland.

The 2025 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ finalists are: