Richard Kennedy, the chief executive of agri-tech business Devenish, has won this year’s overall EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in Ireland.

The global company, specializing in animal nutrition, operates in more than 40 countries and in the past 20 years has experienced huge growth, increasing its turnover from £5 million and 23 employees in 1997 to more than £250 million turnover and more than 500 employees in 2018. Under Mr. Kennedy’s direction the Belfast-based company recently received €118 million in funding from the European Investment Bank to help it grow turnover to £350 million within the next three years. Mr. Kennedy received the prestigious award at a gala event in Dublin on Thursday evening, attended by 1,500 business leaders. In addition to being selected as the overall winner, Mr. Kennedy also won the award for EY International Entrepreneur of the Year at the awards, which is now in its 22nd year. Anne Heraty, chairwoman of this year’s judging panel, said that Mr. Kennedy has been instrumental in leading the innovation that has been so critical to Devenish’s success. “He has developed a clear and ambitious vision for the business to support their growth in global markets,” she added. In 2015, the Sixty-Eighth World Health Assembly, endorsed the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, calling for a dedicated global campaign to raise public awareness and understanding of antibiotic resistance. World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) takes place every November to promote global education on antibiotics, how they should be used, and the growing risks of antibiotic resistance. But for now, global awareness of all these issues remains relatively low.