Irishman transports world entrepreneur title to South Africa

ALTHOUGH technically Ireland’s representative and national award winner, Tullow Oil’s Aidan Heavey, didn’t win this year’s Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year award, at the weekend, there was still an Irish tinge to the celebrations.

South African representative, Bill Lynch, originally from Ballybunion, Co Kerry, won the top prize at Saturday night’s awards ceremony in Monte Carlo.

Mr Lynch is chief executive of Imperial Holdings — a South African-based company that last year generated revenues of $6.5 billion (€5.14bn) from fleet management, car rental and importation, vehicle and forklift leasing and sales, and aviation.