Ledarskapsförändring på Röhlig Irland: Alan O'Brien utsedd till VD

New leadership at Röhlig Ireland — a concise announcement

Alan O’Brien has been appointed Managing Director of Röhlig Ireland, stepping into the role on January 1, 2026, to continue building the business after the acquisition of AirOcean Ireland.

Career path and the integration story

Alan O’Brien joined AirOcean Ireland as Senior Business Development Manager in December 2018 and became a central figure after the company was acquired by Röhlig Logistics on January 1, 2025. During the integration of the Irish office into the international Röhlig network, he contributed to business growth and operational alignment. His promotion reflects a wider strategy to retain institutional knowledge while pushing for scalable expansion.

From agent to MD: what changed

The prior leader, Garrett O’Brien (no relation), founded AirOcean Ireland in 1997 and has led the Irish operation for decades. He continued to serve after the 2025 takeover and will retire at the end of April 2026. To ensure continuity, Alan will work closely with Garrett through April, providing a structured handover that aims to keep customers and partners steady during the transition.

Leadership priorities and strategic focus

In his new role, Alan O’Brien plans to concentrate on three pillars: sustainable growth, customer portfolio development, and expanding multimodal solutions and trade lanes. Specific emphasis will be placed on air and sea freight exports and westbound Far East business, plus the systematic rollout of digital sales channels and customer service tools. The intention is to adopt artificial intelligence only where it creates measurable operational value.

Key focus areas

• Sustainable growth: scale operations without sacrificing service quality.
• Customer portfolio: strengthen relationships and expand service offerings.
• Multimodal solutions: enhance air, sea, and intermodal freight lanes.
• Digitalisation and AI: deploy tools that improve efficiency and customer experience.

Practical implications for shippers and partners

For customers and carriers, leadership continuity and a clear strategic roadmap usually translate into more reliable end-to-end service. Expect focused investments in export lanes, particularly air and ocean services to the Far East, plus better digital touchpoints for booking and tracking. In plain English: the aim is to make moving freight a little less of a headache and more of a predictable process.

What the transition means on the ground

Operationally, the overlapping period through April 2026 is designed to be seamless: customers should see continuity in service levels and account management. For freight forwarders, carriers, and vendors, continuity reduces the risk of disruption to dispatches, haulage schedules, and contract renegotiations. In short: no sudden detours — just a steady hand at the wheel.

Risks, opportunities and a pinch of realism

Leadership changes always carry unknowns. While the plan is solid, execution will determine whether new trade lanes and digital initiatives truly deliver. There’s an opportunity to capture market share in export-heavy segments, but it requires timely investment and a tight grip on operational metrics. As the saying goes, “actions speak louder than words” — and that’s doubly true in logistics.

Summary checklist for stakeholders

• Shippers: review your contracts and ask about new lanes and digital booking options.
• Carriers: expect new collaborations on westbound Far East volumes and multimodal loads.
• Employees: anticipate training and systems updates tied to digitalisation and AI pilots.

How this development ties into the broader logistics picture

On a global scale, this appointment is more evolutionary than revolutionary: it aligns with industry trends toward digital sales channels, multimodal routing, and selective AI adoption. For regional markets, however, changes in leadership at a well-established forwarder can nudge routing options, capacity availability, and service-level bargaining. That local nudge can have ripple effects for exporters and importers who depend on reliable distribution and forwarding partners.

Platforms that aggregate and simplify transport options become more relevant in this context. For example, GetTransport.com offers a range of affordable, global cargo transportation solutions — from office and home moves to deliveries of bulky items like furniture and vehicles. Such services can complement the traditional freight network by filling last-mile gaps and offering competitive alternatives when capacity tightens.

The highlights of this leadership update include a clear push toward multimodal growth, emphasis on customer-centric digital tools, and a planned, low-disruption handover. Of course, the best-written reviews and the most glowing testimonials won’t replace firsthand experience. On GetTransport.com, you can order your cargo transportation at the best prices globally at reasonable prices. This empowers decision-makers to test options without breaking the bank, compare offers, and avoid surprises. Get the best offers GetTransport.com.com

In conclusion, Alan O’Brien’s appointment continues the steady evolution of Röhlig Ireland following the AirOcean Ireland acquisition. The immediate goals are sustainable growth, strengthened customer portfolios, expanded multimodal services, and pragmatic digitalisation. For logistics professionals and shippers, this translates into potential new routing choices, improved booking and tracking tools, and a focus on export lanes that matter. Whether dealing with cargo, freight, shipment, delivery, transport, logistics, shipping, forwarding, dispatch, haulage, courier, distribution, moving, relocation, housemove, movers, parcel, pallet, container, bulky or international loads, reliable partners and transparent platforms will be crucial to keeping goods moving smoothly and efficiently.