Sitting on a Teams call in his Kildare office in late February, Keith Homan let slip that a major Uniserve milestone was on the horizon.
“How long have you been here?,” Keith was asked. “Count the wrinkles,” he quipped.
On Wednesday (March 11), Keith will celebrate his pearl anniversary, joining a small group of Uniserve colleagues who have dedicated more than three decades to the business.
From starting out as a junior salesperson to leading the Irish operation, Keith reflects on a 30‑year journey through what he still calls “the most interesting industry in the world”.
How did you originally join the business?
Uniserve Ireland was established at the end of 1993 and I joined in 1996. I actually came from a retail and lighting background and moved into what we’d now call supply chain – before it was really labelled that. I joined Uniserve Ireland as a junior salesperson at a time when our main service was our daily road freight service from the UK to Ireland.
How did the Irish business evolve from there?
I took over responsibility for Uniserve Ireland in 1999. We started dabbling in air and sea freight in the early 2000s, but it’s really been over the last 10-15 years that we’ve properly built those services.
Brexit was a game-changer and solidified our in-house customs capabilities. A lot of our growth came through word of mouth, recommendations and our commitment to customer service – giving a reliable, cost-effective experience.
Now every day is different and we are truly multimodal.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned over 30 years?
You’re only as good as your most recent performance. Things do go wrong in logistics – that’s the reality – but it’s how you communicate, how honest you are how you deal with adversity that really matters.
This business is all about relationships. I’ve been fortunate to establish excellent relationships with clients, suppliers and valued overseas partners alike over the years – meeting both locally and around the globe.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the business?
Build relationships, pick up the phone, speak to people and take pride in your work. You’re joining one of the most interesting industries in the world. Looking around you: everything has moved from somewhere. The opportunities are endless.
We have an excellent team in Ireland, many of whom have been with me for many years, and that mindset makes all the difference.
What excites you most about the next few years?
Technology is huge. Group visibility and synergies are growing, and our M&A strategy is really interesting. We’re introducing new services, new verticals and continuing to grow the Irish operation. Having invested in our commercial team in recent years, we have really started to make a name for ourselves locally – now it’s time to push on and take our Irish operation to the next level.