We are proud to share that Red Hat president and CEO, Jim Whitehurst, has received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2016 Award in the technology category for the Southeast region.

A subdivision of the prestigious business awards for entrepreneurs, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award program celebrates and recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs of growing and dynamic businesses, who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Through regional, national, and global award programs in more than 60 countries, the award recognizes the contributions of business men and women who inspire others with their vision, leadership, and achievement.

Whitehurst is an avid supporter of open source methodology as a stimulus for business innovation. Last summer, he published a book with Harvard Business Review Press titled “The Open Organization: Igniting Passion and Performance,” explaining how open source principles of management - based on transparency, participation, and community - can help organizations navigate and succeed in a fast-paced era. Under his leadership, Red Hat became the first open source software company to reach $2 billion in annual revenue; was named to Forbes’ list of “The World’s Most Innovative Companies” in 2012, 2014, and 2015; was added to Standard and Poor’s 500 stock index in 2009; and was named one of the best places to work by Glassdoor in 2016.

As a Southeast award winner, Whitehurst is now eligible for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2016 national program, where winners will be announced in Palm Springs, California on Nov. 19, 2016. The US Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award.

Congratulations to Jim!