Mrs Corich, founder and director of Sysdoc – a process, knowledge and change management consultancy – has lived in Britain for four years globalising the business.

She returns to New Zealand with her family each year and on this trip is back for five weeks. "It's really nice to be back," she said in Auckland last night as she was named one of 15 finalists in the Ernst & Young entrepreneur of the year programme.

Mrs Corich is delighted. "You just have to have tenacity. It's not an overnight thing."

It was during her work as a computer operator in her formative years that she found the manuals onerous.

She knew business could be much more efficient if there were clear instructions for the operators to follow. So she wrote them. And so the seed for Sysdoc was born.

Recognition is mounting too. She was a 2009 finalist in Britain's National Business Awards entrepreneur of the year and 2010 Winner of Opportunity Now – Agile Organisation Award.

"Most advisers said it would take far longer than it actually did to penetrate Europe.

They said that because we had no referencable British experience, no major organisation would give us a second look. Despite recessionary times, business is growing especially well here and offshore."

2010 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Finalists:

Andrew Turner, Nautech Electronics, Auckland; Cameron Mehlhopt, StarNow.com, Wellington; Craig Carr, Winslow, Ashburton; Daniel Robertson, Fishpond.co.nz, Auckland; David McKee Wright, Sealegs International, Auckland; Garth MacIntyre, Multi-Pack/Portion Pack Foods, Upper Hutt; Hamish Nuttall, nakedbus.com, Auckland; Ian Douglas, The Village Goldsmith and The Inspired Collection, Wellington; Jim Brodie, Soltius New Zealand, Wellington; John Woodham, Woodhams, Rangiora; Katherine Corich, Sysdoc, Wellington; Sebastian Stapleton, Mastagard, Christchurch; Steve Brooks, My Group, Christchurch; Tim Alpe, JUCY, Auckland; Tony Armstrong, Power System Consultants New Zealand, Wellington.

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