#104 Dyslexia - the competitive advantage in business

A panel discussion featuring EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year Alumni

Anyone who has dyslexia is typically very good at problem-solving and focusing on the wider picture – so it’s no wonder they make great business leaders.

10 percent or 450,000 Irish people are said to have Dyslexia. Young people with Dyslexia are often given international examples of people like Richard Branson or Jamie Oliver who are successful business people with Dyslexia. However, there are plenty of examples of Dyslexic Irish business people who have started their own start-ups or small businesses. In a recent survey, 230 EOY alumni surveyed, 75% identified a connection in some way with dyslexia. 

We took the opportunity to sit down around a (virtual) table with some of EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year Alumni to chat about what makes people with dyslexia so inclined to go into business for themselves, and how their dyslexia and different thinking paves the way to success. 

With Richard Branson and Made By Dyslexia collaborating with LinkedIn to recognise “Dyslexic Thinking” as a valuable skill, the initiative is a breakthrough in acknowledging the positives of being dyslexic in the workplace. We all have a role to play in breaking down the stigma attached to dyslexia and other neurodiverse traits in the workplace and this recognition is a great start.