Andy Gatesy, CEO of Toly Products Ltd, has won the seventh edition of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year. He will now represent Malta in EY’s World Entrepreneur of the Year award, being held in Monaco in June, together with business leaders from more than 60 countries.
Zach Ciappara, Founder of FreeHour Ltd, has taken home the prize of EY’s Rising Star. The FreeHour app successfully positioned itself as the largest platform for the Gen-Z demographic in Malta, boasting a reach of 90 per cent among this influential generation.
EY has been holding the Entrepreneur of the Year awards globally for over three decades. Now found in more than 60 countries, they include a global network of 50,000 entrepreneurs and are the global benchmark for capturing today’s and tomorrow’s entrepreneurial spirit.
The Maltese award is adjudicated by an independent panel made up of key figures from the business community.
This year’s panel included Chris Vassallo Cesareo (President of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise, and Industry); Paul Abela (President of the Malta Chamber of SME’s); Kenneth Farrugia (CEO BOV plc.); Geoffrey Fichte (HSBC CEO); Catherine Calleja (Managing Director, Atlas Health Insurance).
The Malta award promotes entrepreneurship across the Maltese islands and empowers entrepreneurs to grow their businesses both locally and globally.
Previous winners include Alfred Pisani from Corinthia Group in 2017, Angelo Xuereb from AX Holdings in 2018, David Darmanin from Hotjar in 2019, Nazzareno Vassallo from Vassallo Group in 2021, Mark Bajada from Bajada Investments Ltd in 2022 and Louis Farrugia from Farsons Group in 2023.
The previous awardees of the Rising Star award include David Vella from Altaro Software, Shane Hunter from AquaBioTech Group, Ben Remfrey from Praedium Consulting Malta Ltd, John Winfield of Dr Juice, Krystle Penza of MVintage and Yasmin de Giorgio of Shireburn Software.
Ronald Attard, EY Malta’s Country Managing Partner, said: “This year’s winners are all about business acumen and experience. Andy’s contribution to Malta’s business world is overwhelming and it is great to see him receive the recognition he deserves. Zach may be young but though FreeHour he managed to build a bridge that connects businesses to the younger generation. Finally, a big congratulations to all the 2024 finalists whose determination and perseverance has brought them so far! Good luck to the both in Monaco!”
Kevin Mallia, EY Malta consulting lead and EOY Programme lead, said: “I am proud to say that in its seventh edition, the EOY award has found another exceptional cohort of promising entrepreneurs. I commend this year’s judges in their difficult role of choosing the award winners in a competition that is becoming increasingly difficult every year as Malta’s entrepreneurial spirit continues to grow. We are sure that the 2024 winners will make Malta proud as they compete in EY’s World Entrepreneur of the Year next June.”
The awards are supported by the Malta Chamber