The driving force behind Ireland’s economy rewarded at the Irish Logistics and Transport Awards 2024

Ireland’s transport and logistics experts came together at the Crowne Plaza, Santry, on Thursday, March 7th, to celebrate the brightest and best at the Irish Logistics and Transport Awards 2024.

The star-studded event, now in its 14th year, was hosted by comedian and author Colm O’Regan and saw 20 awards going to a range of businesses and individuals.

The overall winner was retailer and wholesaler BWG Foods, which also won the award for the own account transport operator of the year category.

The prestigious logistics and transport leader for 2024 went to Philip Tracey, chief executive of privately owned Ace Express Freight. One of Ireland’s leading freight firms Ace has 100s of trailers making the journey to and from the UK weekly.

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The importance of the sector cannot be underestimated. Statista reports revenue in the third-party logistics (3PL) market in Ireland will reach more than €5 billion by 2024, with an expected annual growth rate of 4.7 per cent, leading to a projected market volume of more than €6bn by 2028. It says Ireland’s 3PL market is experiencing a surge in demand for specialised logistics services, catering to the country’s booming tech and pharmaceutical industries.

The Government’s Logistics Week fact sheet says that from Q4 2019 to Q4 2022, employment in the sector grew by 5 per cent to 113,100, representing 4.4 per cent of the national workforce. It reckons close to 45 million tonnes of goods are transported by road per quarter. Logistics and transport literally carry the Irish economy.

It came as no surprise that the standard of entries this year was turbo charged. Awards judge Maura O’Toole, owner and principal trainer at organisational and presentation skills provider Facilitrain, sang the praises of not just the winners.

“The quality of the entries this year was excellent. I was particularly impressed by the four finalists in the women in logistics & transport category – four superb entries, a wonderful showcase for the extraordinary women being so successful in this male-dominated industry and a worthy winner,” she said.

“The best use of technology category finalists demonstrated innovative and interesting applications for technology in the industry, as did the finalists in the technology provider sector – it is exciting to see cutting edge technology being applied in what is often seen as a traditional industry.”

Gareth Prendergast, director of logistics with the Irish Defence Forces, was another judge. He said: “I was very satisfied with the whole process and experience. It was very professional from start to finish.”

Winner of the logistics and transport team of the year was Derry Bros Shipping & Customs Clearance. Brigid Derry, chief executive, stressed the importance of always improving to try to stay ahead of the changing market.

“The transport and logistics industry is continuing to evolve. We already see new border legislation being implemented, which is why we believe it is essential that we continue to provide tailored shipping and customs clearance expertise to support businesses’ growth,” she said.

The awards night was also important for the sponsors. Joey Whelan, director of platinum sponsor AIB Corporate Banking, was there with Nessa Devereux, head of AIB transport and logistics. “AIB recognises the importance of the sector to the wider economy and its key role in empowering people to build a sustainable future. The awards night was a fantastic opportunity to meet with so many excellent companies and experience their energy and enthusiasm first hand,” Devereux said.

The winner of the women in logistics & transport award was Edith Denieff, director of operational excellence at Crane Worldwide Logistics. Denieff was managing director of the Irish operation in Shannon, Cork and Dublin before taking responsibility for the firm’s operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Denieff has been involved with the Crane Cares programme using the company’s logistics capabilities for societal benefit and the Logistics for Literacy drive. She is also well-known for her work supporting charities to deliver humanitarian aid in Ukraine, using her experience of cross-Border transport.

Her managing director, Jack Lenihan, said: “A shining example of hard work, determination and operations excellence, we were delighted to celebrate Edith Denieffe’s success in winning the women in logistics & transport award 2024. Congratulations from your team-mates.”

Mike Fitzpatrick, general manager of gold sponsor ISM Training & Recruitment, a division of the Irish School of Motoring, said: “ISM have a proud history of supporting the logistics and transport industry over the past 60 years. Each year the ILT Awards gives us an exclusive platform to meet our clients, promote our services, support and celebrate the best in the logistics and transport industry.”

In many award categories it was hard to pick the winners – the night was a success for those shortlisted too. Marc Nixon, head of marketing at finalist Transpoco, said: “The ILT Awards were a fantastic showcase of industry talent. Being shortlisted is a recognition of the vital role artificial intelligence will play in driving safety progress in Irish transportation and logistics.”

Gary Owens, general manager, of fellow finalist Spectrum, said: “We were proud to be shortlisted as finalists for the Irish Logistics and Transport Awards’ customer focus achievement category. This is a reflection of our ongoing investments in technology and employee development, which resulted in outstanding customer ratings last year.”

Speaking at the awards, Kevin O’Driscoll, director of partnership programmes at Business River, said: “Events like this are made possible through the support of sponsors. We are thankful to our 2024 sponsors and professional partners, which include Allied Irish Bank, ISM Recruitment, Driving Force and [the] Road Safety Authority. Their investment in the awards underlines their commitment to and support of this key business area.”

The Irish Logistics and Transport Awards will continue to map out the route to success.

Full list of judges

· Declan Allen (judging coordinator), Technological University Dublin

· Páraic Carroll, assistant professor, University College Dublin

· Seamus Kavanagh, executive officer, Irish International Freight Association

· Michael O’Callaghan, director, IPICS The Supply Chain Management Institute

· Maura O’Toole, owner/principal trainer, Facilitrain

· Gareth Prendergast, director of logistics, Irish Defence Forces

· Efce Van Heerden, lecturer, Munster Technological University

· Dr Jelena Vlajic, senior lecturer, Queen’s University Belfast

Full list of winners

Overall logistics & transport excellence award (sponsored by Driving Force)

Winner: BWG Foods

Logistics & transport leader 2024 (sponsored by ISM Recruitment)

Winner: Philip Tracey, Ace Express Freight

Women in logistics & transport award

Winner: Crane Worldwide Logistics – Edith Denieffe

Logistics & transport SME company of the year

Winner: Road Truck Services

Logistics & transport team of the year (sponsored by AIB)

Winner: Derry Bros Shipping & Customs Clearance

Freight forwarding company of the year

Winner: Ace Express Freight

Green impact award (sponsored by AIB)

Winner: McCulla Ireland Sustainable Transport

Customer focus achievement award

Winner: Musgrave

Safety award

Winner: Iarnród Éireann

Supply chain achievement award (sponsored by ISM Recruitment)

Winner: Bus Éireann

3PL achievement award

Winner: Ace Express Freight

Future achiever award

Winner: Sysco – Benjamin Barnes

Excellence in warehousing

Winner: McCulla Ireland – Temperature-Controlled Storage & Distribution

Courier company of the year

Winner: Fastway

Best use of technology

Winner: APCOA Parking Ireland

Technology provider of the year

Winner: Fleet Data

Own account transport operator of the year

Winner: BWG Foods

Passenger transport company of the year

Winner: Corduff Travel

Employer of the year

Winner: Ace Express Freight

Independent transport operator of the year

Winner: Clare Distribution Services