European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has, this afternoon, been announced as the special guest for the 48th annual Business & Finance Awards. The event will take place at the Convention Centre in Dublin on Thursday, December 1st, and is expected to see more than 1,000 business, political and social leaders attend.
President Von Der Leyen, who has served as the Commission President since 2019, will travel to Ireland to accept the Sutherland Leadership Award. The accolade marks the 50th anniversary of Ireland joining the European Union, and recognises the EU’s contribution to the country across the last five decades.
Since its inception in 1974, the Business & Finance Awards Programme has honoured and hosted some of the most outstanding political and social leaders. This year, notable guests include:
-
An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin
-
Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness
-
Former Irish President, Mary Robinson
-
Former Taoiseach, Enda Kenny
-
Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko
The Sutherland Leadership Award was established in 2018 with the support of the Sutherland Family to recognise outstanding international leaders who have embodied the values of one of Ireland’s and Europe’s finest leaders, Peter Sutherland. Since its inception, The Sutherland Leadership Award has recognised Henry (Hank) Paulson, 74th US Secretary of the Treasury & Founder of the Paulson Institute; José Manuel Barroso, former President of the European Commission; and Mario Draghi ,former President of the European Central Bank and Prime Minister of Italy.
Established in 1974, the Business & Finance Awards is the longest-running and most prestigious business awards programme in Ireland and is an important recognition platform for the Irish business community. The event serves to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in innovation, growth and scale of individual business leaders and their teams.
Now in its 48th year, the prestigious event will also see the winners announced across six categories – Company of the Year; Business Person of the Year; Diversity, Equality & Inclusion; ESG; Elevation; and FDI of the Year.
