Rosemary Squire Named the EY Master Entrepreneur of the Year of 2014 in the London South Region

Rosemary Squire OBE, co-Founder and Joint CEO of Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) - the world's number one live-theatre company - has been named the only Master Entrepreneur for the London & South Region at EY's Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Awards.

Squire collected the prize at an Awards Dinner held at the Skyloft by Altitude restaurant in London last night (26 June). She will now go on to represent the London & South Region at the UK Entrepreneur Of The Year Finals in October.

"This award is especially thrilling because it properly recognises the theatre industry as a major force in terms of the substantial financial contribution it makes to the UK economy and its standing as a major player in the wider business world," says Squire.

"It's also nice that a woman has been recognised for her business achievements, in what is still a very male dominated world."

"On a personal note, I'm naturally delighted as I co-founded ATG with my husband and business partner, Sir Howard Panter, and with the help of our investors, partners and colleagues have built up the company to become the largest theatre group in the world, an achievement I'm extremely proud of."

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme is all about discovering exceptional companies and leaders that display the confidence, quality and aspiration to grow and prosper.

The 2014 programme contains a vibrant group of 109 companies led by like-minded, entrepreneurial business leaders. Together they employ a total of 43,800 people and achieve a combined revenue of £9.4bn all headquartered across the UK. The Entrepreneur Of The Year programme spans 145 cities in 60 countries across the globe.

Squire is a National Member of the Arts Council England Board, a Trustee of The Hall for Cornwall and was chair of Great Ormond Street's Theatres for Theatres Appeal raising £4.7m. When elected President of Society of London Theatre, she became the 2nd only female President in the organisation's history. She won the prestigious CBI Real Business First Women Award for Tourism & Leisure and was awarded an OBE for Services to Theatre. Widely recognised in the industry, she has topped The Stage 100 for 5 consecutive years alongside her husband/business partner, Sir Howard Panter, and the pair were placed first in the Evening Standard 'Power 1000' Theatre section. Squire was also chosen as one of the 100 women on the BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Power List in 2013, appearing at number 16 on the list.

The past twelve months have been one of the most pivotal and ground-breaking periods in ATG's 22-year history as the company's plans for international expansion have started to become realised.

Through a US based subsidiary, ATG acquired The Lyric Theatre (formerly Foxwoods) from Live Nation Entertainment and in doing so, became the first British owners of a theatre on Broadway. During this time, ATG also sold a majority share in the company to global private equity firm Providence Equity Partners and completed the purchase of theatre ticketing agency, The Ticket Machine Group Ltd (TMG). In addition, ATG has made a number of significant appointments designed to allow ATG to expand its successful business model internationally - combining theatre ownership/management with producing activity and ticketing/marketing operations.

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