Openet chiefs win Entrepreneur of the Year title


22 Oct 2011

Receiving their award from President Mary McAleese and Frank O'Keeffe are Joe Hogan, chief technology officer and Niall Norton, chief executive officer of Openet

Joe Hogan and Niall Norton of Openet are the recipients of the 14th Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award as well as being winners in the International Entrepreneur Of the Year category.

Established in 1999, Openet was formed in a basement office in Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Square with only two people, but has grown into a global team of 830 people. Hogan is chief technology officer and Norton is chief executive officer.

It provides software to communication and media service providers worldwide, enabling them to control, monetise and increase visibility into the usage of services and network resources. Its software-based solutions are empowering operators around the world to create new business models, simplify and personalise the subscriber experience, according to the founders.

Openet has grown revenues from €31m in 2008 to €46m to €75.5m in 2010 and is targeting revenue of €100m for 2011.

International expansion

This growth has allowed the company to invest in employees and talent around the world with bases in Dublin, its US headquarters in Reston, Virginia, Atlanta, Malaysia and San Paulo, Brazil. Openet recently announced plans to expand its presence in Canada and Mexico.

“Joe Hogan and Niall Norton represent the very best that Ireland has to offer on a global stage – 99pc of Openet revenues come from outside Ireland and its software is used by some of the largest brands across the globe,” said Frank O’Keeffe, partner-in-charge of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Of The Year.

Article courtesy of Businessandleadership.com