VMware wins Cork Company of the Year Award

Cork SME Company of the Year is Contracting Plus

Emerging Cork Company of the Year is Keelvar Systems

Cork Chamber in association with Vodafone, today announced VMware as the overall winner of the Cork Chamber/Vodafone Cork Company of the Year Award.  Other category winners include:

• Emerging Cork Company was awarded to Keelvar Systems: bringing cost efficiencies to public procurement through software optimization.

• The Cork SME Company Award was won by Contracting PLUS: the Accounting, Administration and Taxation Solution for Professional Contractors

•  The Large Company Award was also won by VMware: the global leader in Cloud & Virtualisation software services

Speaking about this year’s winners, John Mullins, President of Cork Chamber said, “The Cork Company of the Year Awards have gone from strength to strength and 2013 has seen the highest level of entrants across all categories, both in terms of quality and quantity.  It has been a great experience to see first-hand the high levels of achievement that companies in the region have been reaching, offering excellent products and services to their customer base which in turn deliver economic growth locally and to Irelands reputation internationally. Together with our partners Vodafone we are pleased to recognise and reward the successes of the three winning companies who have shown the knowledge, skills, commitment and passion to drive their business over the past year and into the future.

Presenting the awards at this evening’s Cork Chamber Annual Dinner in City Hall, Anne O’Leary, Business and Enterprise Director, Vodafone Ireland said, “The standard of entries this year was incredibly high. Something I’m particularly excited about is how much the winning businesses are utilizing technology to forge ahead in the market place. Once again, the awards have demonstrated the wealth and depth of talent in this country and have reassured me how much Irish businesses are out there going head to head with the best in the international market-place.”

Accepting the Cork Company of the Year Award on behalf of VMware, John Dolan, Senior Director said,  " I’m delighted to receive this award from the Cork Chamber of Commerce on behalf of all my hard working colleagues in VMware. The award gives public recognition to the superb quality and can do attitudes of the  700 employees within our organisation and highlights the talent available to prospective employers in our region.”

Commenting on the best SME Company Award, Michael Dineen, Founder and Chairman and Business Partner Fergal Lennon, Contracting PLUS said: “We are delighted to be recognised by Cork Chamber and Vodafone, particularly in a year that has seen real growth in contracting and the flexible workforce in general. This is good news for Ireland Inc.  as the flexibility of our skilled workforce is a pull factor for further FDI. Our role is to provide tax efficient and compliant solutions for these professional contractors. I would like to thank our team, not only in our Cork and Dublin office but also internationally and we look forward to continued success together.”

 'This award is a wonderful endorsement of our new e-procurement software. When a university spinout company such as Keelvar is bringing a key innovation to a mature sector such as procurement, this award gives more weight to our claims that we're doing something very different here to drive cost efficiencies through improved bid data gathering and optimisation via smart algorithms”, commented Alan Holland, Managing Director of Keelvar Systems.

Ends

For further information please contact:

Barbara-Anne Richardson, Marketing & Commercial Services Manager Cork Chamber, tel (021) 4530140 or (087) 0998895

Notes to Editor:

About Cork Chamber:

Cork Chamber is the leading business organisation for the promotion and development of economic and commercial activity in the Cork Region.

As the largest business organisation in the region, Cork Chamber represents the interests of over 1,000 member businesses, employing close to 100,000 people. Cork Chamber is a dynamic and proactive organisation committed to supporting business in this region.

For more information, please visit www.corkchamber.com

About Vodafone:

Vodafone is Ireland’s leading total communications provider with 2.44 million customers across mobile, fixed line and DSL.  At 30 September 2012 Vodafone Ireland’s mobile telecoms base was 2.22 million.

Vodafone is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies by revenue with approximately 407 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as of 30 September 2012. Vodafone currently has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and more than 50 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com