Waterford based Dooley’s Hotel has been Highly Commended in the category of Strategic Growth at the second annual AIB Women in Enterprise Programme which was held in the AIB Centre of Excellence Hub in Central Park, Dublin. Almost 80 companies took part in the hotly contested programme which saw companies throughout Ireland competing for the top spot. Kildare based The Beauty Buddy was chosen as the overall winner by a panel of judges which included senior representatives from AIB but Waterford based Dooley’s Hotel was Highly Commended in the category of Strategic Growth and walked away with part of the €40,000 prize fund.
Dooley’s Hotel is a three-star, third-generation women-led business. Located in Ireland’s oldest city, Waterford. The family has been in the hospitality industry for 72 years. They have 112 guest bedrooms, 170-seater restaurant, 150-seater bar and their banqueting/conference suite can cater up to 240 guests.
On the night, four other businesses, The Beauty Buddy, Flowithme, Chupi and Advanced Technical Concepts Ltd were also awarded prizes by the judges. The winners and finalists will share a prize fund of €40,000 which will go towards helping them scale their businesses. They will also receive mentoring and media profiling for their companies.
Speaking about the awards, Lorraine Greene, AIB Women in Enterprise Programme Manager said “The AIB Women in Enterprise Programme is part of our commitment to providing businesses with the supports needed to help them scale and achieve further success. The awards are a key milestone in this programme and give us an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the many achievements of the businesses that participated throughout the year.
“We are delighted to have such a variety of businesses across multiple sectors compete in this year’s programme. We are also proud to have played a part in helping these businesses and to have backed them to achieve their dreams and ambitions.”
Speaking about the awards, Tina Darrer of Dooley’s Hotel in Waterford said “I was thrilled to win the award. It was completely unexpected. The WIE academy was an amazing opportunity for our business and my leadership growth, which I am transferring to our team. It has given me many tools, support and guidance to which we are implementing. AIB gave me access to the best mentors and experts in the field. They have introduced me to a new network of fantastic people. AIB has opened the door and made introductions to people that I would generally not have had access. They have helped our business to be more focused, target and strategic driven. I am truly grateful for the experience AIB has given us.”
The AIB Women in Enterprise programme is an eight month programme which kicked off in December 2018 and saw over 300 businesses take part in a series of half day masterclasses across Ireland which aimed to enable participants to improve their leadership and communication skills. In parallel to these workshops, was the AIB Women in Enterprise Growth Academies which saw 60 separate businesses owners attend six days of intensive training on topics such including leadership, networking, digital strategy and finance.
Bausch + Lomb has sponsored a mobile computer system for Mount Sion CBS Secondary School, Waterford, which allows classrooms other than the school’s two permanent computer rooms, to operate as high technology learning centres. The presentation of the information technology suite marks the beginning of a new partnership between the company and the school.
