Glenn Murphy FICS has been elected chairman of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers Ireland at its 44th annual general meeting in Dublin last Thursday (25 October).
He replaces outgoing chairman Sean McCabe FICS, who served for the previous two years.
Murphy is managing director of Irish Shipbroking & Chartering Ltd. A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, he has a Master’s degree in Economics and Policy Studies from Trinity College Dublin.
He was formally director of the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) and chaired a number of expert groups on transport, trade and ports.
Speaking at the AGM, Murphy said: “I am extremely honoured to take on the role in an industry that I have dedicated the last 30 years of my career to.”
Commenting on the priorities for the institute during his term, he said: “The ongoing uncertainty surrounding Brexit presents one of the single greatest challenges to the stability of the sector.
“The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers in Ireland is an all-island body with practicing members both in the North and South of the island. So many of our members are potentially exposed to major disruption to their day to day business, in particular the companies that are routing vessels and cargo, including transit cargo from outside of the European Union, to and from ports in the United Kingdom.
“We will continue to engage closely with the various stakeholders, including relevant Government departments during this critical phase.”
Discussing the institute’s role in education of its members, Murphy said: “The institute’s internationally recognised professional education and training continues to grow each year. Shipping is generally regarded as a high-risk industry and with the current global economic uncertainty our members and their clients are likely to be tested further.
“Nonetheless I’m confident that given their experience and past training and qualifications in specialist areas such as legal principles and law for carriage of goods by sea, maritime economics and international trade, which includes impacts of tariffs and barriers as well as customs, that I have no doubt our members are well prepared to deal with the challenges ahead whatever they might be.”
