Members of Irish International Freight Association met on the evening of Thursday 2nd June 2022 for 60th sitting of IIFA’s Annual General Meeting. While the aftermath of BREXIT and COVID still present challenges for the Freight Industry, amid many new challenges within the Global Supply Chain, IIFA took the opportunity to meet in-person to celebrate not only the resilience of the Irish industry, but also the people that make that Irish Industry what it is.
In recognition of his many years of service and contribution to the Irish Freight Forwarding and Customs Brokerage industry, Owen O'Brien was presented with an Honorary Fellowship of Irish International Freight Association by IIFA President Terry Sweeney.
Owen O’Brien began his career in the 1960s before co-founding Independent Freight Forwarder Emerald Freight with the late Thomas J. Freeney, in 1981. After 40 years in operation, Emerald Freight Express remains an Independent Freight Forwarding company to this day, now managed by Owen’s Colleagues who he worked with over many years.
Throughout his career, Owen gave his support to the industry through work with Irish International Freight Association, having spent time on IIFA Council and contributing to various Industry Working Groups over the years. In the years before his retirement in September of 2017, Owen gave his support to IIFA with the 2016 FIATA World Congress Dublin and he played an instrumental role with IIFA’s Working Group that saw the Association’s Standard Trading Conditions updated to their present 2018 edition. A testament to his experience across the Irish industry over his years of service, Owen was also President of Irish Air Cargo Institute between 2002 – 2005 and was an active Member of the Irish Branch of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport.
Far from having simply served 50 years within an industry, Owen O’Brien dedicated his life to Freight Forwarding, an industry in which he, and Emerald Freight Express Ltd, are held in high esteem by Industry Colleagues. It is in honour of that lifelong commitment and successful career that IIFA welcomes Owen O’Brien as an Honorary Fellow of Irish International Freight Association.
Among the other achievements celebrated at the 2022 AGM were IIFA’s Membership figures, which are the highest ever record for IIFA, continued strong participation and positive feedback for IIFA’s FIATA Diploma course and the successful completion of IIFA’s pilot Introduction to Freight Forwarding course, recently completed in partnership with Pearse College Dublin.
[Photo: IIFA Honorary Fellow Owen O’Brien (L) with IIFA President Terry Sweeney (R)]
