EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026: on recognition, leadership and fair international growth
When our CEO Pleun Opperman heard that she had been nominated for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026, her first reaction was mainly disbelief.
“I was honestly extremely shocked. I thought I was going to have a casual conversation, and I would already have been happy if I had received a ticket to the event. Being nominated had not even crossed my mind, let alone in the master category.”
For her, the nomination is more than a personal moment of recognition. It is an opportunity to reflect on entrepreneurship, leadership, international growth and the mission Parakar works on every day: making international growth simpler, fairer and more human.
A nomination that goes beyond one person
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is not an unfamiliar platform to her. In fact, it is a platform she has looked up to throughout her entire working life.
“I find it inspiring and very important to see entrepreneurs being put in the spotlight.”
For her, the nomination feels like recognition on multiple levels at once. For her personal journey as an entrepreneur. For Parakar. For the team. And for the mission behind it all.
As a young CEO, she has often experienced that age and vision are not always judged in the same way. That is exactly why this nomination feels special. It is a confirmation that vision, perseverance and entrepreneurship do not depend on age.
At the same time, she emphasizes that entrepreneurship never happens alone.
“At the top, it can sometimes feel quite lonely,” she says. “But of course, you don’t do this alone.”
That realization became even clearer during her maternity leave. While she temporarily stepped back, Parakar continued to grow. The vision remained sharp. The team took responsibility. And that made a strong impression.
“It was very special to experience how powerful it is when you are surrounded by smart and driven people.”
“Everyone deserves a fair chance at international growth”
On the EY page, her quote reads:
“Everyone deserves a fair chance at international growth.”
For her, that is not an abstract mission. It is something that comes directly from personal experience.
Parakar’s mission was born out of frustration. During their own journey towards internationalization, they experienced how complex, costly and inefficient international growth can be when you do not have the right guidance.
“We were too small for the large-scale advisors and too big for the local administrative office. We were looking for someone who believed in our future and truly became a partner. That partner did not exist, so we became one ourselves.”
In practice, fair international growth means that companies should not be pushed into one standard solution. The right route depends on the situation: why do you want to expand, how fast does it need to happen, how much risk are you willing to take and what fits your future plans?
What Parakar wants to prevent is companies choosing a solution that mainly fits the provider, but not their own situation. Because the wrong choice can lead to unnecessary costs, complex processes or compliance risks.
Choosing the right route
International growth should not become a maze of separate partners, systems and suppliers. Yet that is often what happens.
A company wants to expand, brings in a local party for administration, another party for payroll, another for HR and someone else for compliance. Before you know it, you end up with a spaghetti monster of suppliers, while as an entrepreneur, you really only want one thing: to build your business.
“As an entrepreneur, you want to focus on your product, your service and your growth. Being able to let go of the administrative backbone is truly a gift.”
That is where Parakar wants to make the difference. Not by pushing one specific service forward, but by thinking along about what an organization truly needs. Now and in the future.
Becoming CEO young: learning to lead without having all the answers
Becoming CEO at a young age has strongly shaped her view on leadership.
In the beginning, she thought leadership was mainly about knowledge, expertise and giving direction. Today, she sees it differently.
“Leadership is much less about having the perfect answers and much more about asking the right questions.”
For her, leadership is about problem-solving ability, daring to give responsibility and giving people the space to become better than you in their own field of expertise. At the same time, that requires structure. Because as teams grow, all lines, actions and ideas still need to come together in one clear strategy.
Difficult decisions are part of that too. Not everyone will always agree with you. Sometimes you have to choose what is right for the organization in the long term, even if it feels uncomfortable in the short term.
That requires courage. And self-reflection.
“I sometimes miss that vulnerability in the standard image of leadership.”
Building a company that is bigger than the entrepreneur
One of her most important lessons is that a company must become bigger than the person leading it.
For her, that does not mean that, as an entrepreneur, you have to be indispensable everywhere. Quite the opposite. The goal is to build an organization that can grow because people know where they are going, which choices matter and how their contribution fits into the bigger vision.
That is also how she looks at Parakar. The strength of the company does not lie in one person, but in the team, the expertise and the way everyone works together towards the same mission.
The future of international work: freedom and certainty
International work is becoming increasingly normal. For Parakar, it has been daily practice for years. But more normal does not mean simpler.
International work touches almost every part of an organization: people, payroll, employment law, compliance, finance, market strategy and business operations. At the same time, laws and regulations, local labour markets and employee expectations are constantly changing.
Employees expect flexibility. Companies want access to the best talent, regardless of location. Governments are placing higher demands on employers. And organizations increasingly need to understand how to operate globally while remaining locally compliant.
According to her, the focus is increasingly shifting from location to talent. Companies are looking less at where someone lives and more at the value someone adds.
“Ultimately, I believe the future of work is about freedom and certainty. People should be able to work where they can thrive the most, while organizations have the certainty that everything is properly arranged. It is exactly that combination that will define the next generation of international growth.”
Parakar’s role in that future
In the coming years, Parakar wants to be the partner that makes international growth simpler.
Not only for large multinationals, but especially for scale-ups, family businesses and fast-growing organizations that want to grow internationally without getting stuck in complexity.
The ambition is clear: organizations should be able to focus on their people, customers and growth. Parakar makes sure the rest is taken care of.
Over the past years, Parakar has deliberately evolved. From a company that was mainly seen as an EOR provider, to a multi-service partner that can support organizations more broadly with international HR, payroll, compliance and advice.
That development may be what she is most proud of.
“We have gone from ‘just an EOR’ to a multi-service provider. Because of that, we can truly be an involved partner for clients, not just another supplier in between.”
Giving back to the next generation of entrepreneurs
The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year nomination feels to her not only like recognition, but also like an opportunity. An opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs, gain new perspectives and give something back to the next generation of entrepreneurs.
With special attention to female entrepreneurs.
Because if her story shows anything, it is that vision, ambition and leadership do not have to wait for the perfect moment. Sometimes you build the partner you once needed yourself. And sometimes that grows into a company that helps others do the same.
Do you want to discover how Parakar makes international growth simpler, smarter and compliant? Get in touch with our team.
