Waterford’s Liam Dunne of Klearcom travels to Japan on Ireland’s biggest annual unofficial trade mission

A delegation of 140 of Ireland’s top entrepreneurs, including Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, Waterford’s Liam Dunne of Klearcom, travelled to Japan for the annual EY Entrepreneur Of The Year CEO Retreat recently. 

The week-long event saw the entrepreneurs travel between Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto as they participated in a comprehensive programme of executive coaching, education and networking, while also experiencing Japan’s vibrant culture and traditions.

This year’s retreat visited sites of major business, academic and diplomatic importance across Japan, including SoftBank Corporation HQ where the group met with SoftBank President Kunihiro Fujinaga and Executive Vice President Daichi Nozaki, a ‘Mini MBA’ experience at Hitotsubashi University, and Ireland House Tokyo, the centre of Ireland’s diplomatic relations in Japan, where the group met with Ambassador of Ireland to Japan, Damien Cole. The visit concluded at the World Expo in Osaka.

Japan is the world’s fourth largest economy with enduring strengths in areas including innovation, technology, automotive and manufacturing. The existing trade relationship between Ireland and Japan is strong with Japan positioned as Ireland’s second largest trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Many of the entrepreneurs who travelled to Japan already conduct business there, while others are seeking to expand their markets.

The delegation included this year’s 24 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year finalists - including Liam Dunne of Klearcom in the 'Emerging' category, as well as programme alumni representing a broad spectrum of industries and representatives from Enterprise Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland and Julius Baer International.

Roger Wallace, Partner Lead for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year, said: “The CEO retreat is one of the highlights of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme... Japan is renowned as an innovative leader across various industries, including manufacturing, electronics, automotive and robotics. 

"It is a country rich in opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to expand beyond traditional markets and into the wider Asia-Pacific region.

“More broadly, our CEO Retreat is designed to enable entrepreneurs to have the space to step back, engage with their peers and think differently, to embrace new ideas and to push themselves even further," Mr Wallace added.

Since its inception, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland community has grown into a network of 650 alumni who harness each other’s wealth of experience, with three-quarters (75%) conducting business with one another. Together, the EOY alumni community generates revenues in excess of €25 billion, and employs more than 250,000 people across the island of Ireland.