Dr Emmeline Hill, co-founder of Equinome, an equine genomics company, has been named as the Irish Tatler 2012 Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.
The award ceremony, that took place in November, “recognised and rewarded Ireland’s most influential and successful women.” It was also the first occasion that a dedicated women’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award has been awarded.
Equinome, a “world-leading equine genomics company”, offers an “Elite Performance Test” and a “Speed Gene Test” that allows breeders and owners to identify whether their thoroughbred foals andyearlings have the potential to race at elite level.
Equinome was established in 2009 after Dr Hill received a Science Foundation Ireland award in 2004 that supported a five-year research programme. The research carried out led to the discovery of “myostatin”, a gene that was found to “predict sprinting ability and stamina potential, which can immediately identify a thoroughbred as a potential sprinter, middle-distance or long-distance horse”. In 2009 Dr Hill joined forces with Jim Bolger, racehorse trainer and breeder, to create the tests.
On receiving the award, Dr Hill said: “I am delighted and honoured to be the first recipient of this award. I am thrilled for science, innovation and entrepreneurship to be celebrated among women.”
Dr Emmeline Hill, a genomics scientist at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, comes from a family heavily involved racing. Her grandmother, Charmian Hill, was the owner of Dawn Run, the only racehorse to have completed the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle (1984) and Gold Cup (1986) double.
Norah Casey, CEO, Harmonia said: “I love these awards because they’re so inspiring.
“We started over a decade ago with a handful of nominations in the women in business category — it’s now our largest.”
For more information on Equinome head to www.equinome.com or call +353 1 716 3775.
