New Zealand's Crimson Education founder Jamie Beaton wins EY Entrepreneur Of The Year

Jamie Beaton, founder and chief executive of global education advisory company Crimson Education, has been named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year, recognising his decade-long journey in building an international education business.

Beaton also won the Technology and Emerging Industries Entrepreneur award at the gala ceremony held in Auckland, adding to his Young Entrepreneur honour from 2023. The independent judging panel, comprising previous award winners, assessed nominees on four key criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, impact, growth and purpose.

Phil Thomson, chair of judges and the previous year's overall winner, said Beaton had impressed the panel with his ambitious vision for making quality education more accessible and the scale of the business he had built from a young age. "Jamie Beaton really impressed all the judges around his bold vision in championing education, not just for New Zealanders and everyone across the world, but for anyone. And then secondly, the scale of what he's built over the last decade or so, from a very young age initially," Thomson said.

Founded in 2013, Crimson Education has grown into a global education group offering online schooling, tutoring, mentoring and academic enrichment. Its portfolio includes Crimson Education, Crimson Global Academy, NumberWorks'nWords and Revision Village.

Beyond business, Beaton has also supported efforts to widen educational opportunities through the Te Ara a Kupe Beaton Scholarship, which provides assistance to Māori and Pasifika students seeking international study opportunities.

Thomson, who also co-founded retail crime intelligence platform Auror, said the standard of candidates competing for the top honour had been exceptionally high.

Other category winners

Other recipients of this year's EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards included:

• Patrick Moynahan of Echo Tech – Young Entrepreneur
• Sarah Kennedy of Calocurb – Product Entrepreneur
• Peter Shenoda of Bargain Chemist – Services Entrepreneur
• Lindsay Faithfull of McKay – Master Entrepreneur

The judges also recognised Pic Picot, founder of Pic's Peanut Butter, with the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Entrepreneurship and Community. The honour acknowledged his contribution to the Nelson community and his role in driving innovation in New Zealand's food sector.

With the national honour secured, Beaton will represent New Zealand at next year's global EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards in Monaco, taking his education enterprise onto the international stage.