Viatris Little Island takes top honour at Operational Excellence Awards 2026

The Viatris facility at Little Island has won the top award at the Operational Excellence Awards 2026, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry, Dublin and hosted by Colm O’Regan. Now in its sixth year, the awards drew 118 entries and 252 attendees, with 21 trophies presented on the night in recognition of individuals, teams and organisations committed to achieving operational excellence and driving business transformation.

Viatris secured the top award for its integrated lean management system, which has transformed how the site does business. The Cork plant manufactures bulk active pharmaceutical ingredients and employs 200 people.

An Post Commerce won awards in the logistics and public sector categories. The An Post Way model is centred on supporting the organisation’s transformation from a letter to a parcel business while enhancing operational efficiency and quality performance. Astellas Ireland won the life sciences award category, having implemented an electronic batch record system and a QC digital dashboard and commissioned a solar farm in 2025.

Suzanne Ryan, finance director at awards sponsor ISS Ireland, remarked: “The Opex Awards shine a spotlight on the people behind operational excellence – those driving innovation, collaboration and high standards every day. Supporting these awards celebrates their impact and inspires our industry to keep raising the bar for teams, clients and communities.”

Menopause: One in four say the biggest emotional burden is the pressure to appear fine

Out of the spreadsheets and into the streets: How one retiree tells Dublin’s history

From farm to pharmacy: scaling a premium skincare brand

How Europe’s headline housing numbers hide the real crisis

Bidvest Noonan claimed the facilities management and innovation awards. The awards entries cited energy savings and efficiency gains achieved at the National Aquatic Centre, St Vincent’s University Hospital, Bus Éireann and University College Dublin. Express Merchants won the green operational excellence award. The judging panel was impressed with Breeze, a digital procurement platform designed to reduce waste, cut unnecessary travel and support local suppliers, embedding sustainability into everyday operational decisions.

Comfort Keepers Homecare was the healthcare award winner. The company was recognised for its efforts during Storm Eowyn to ensure staff safety and service continuity. Rosanna Martin, the company’s director of business development, said: “We are incredibly proud to be recognised for our commitment to operational excellence. This achievement reflects the dedication of our teams across Ireland, who consistently deliver high-quality, person-centred care. We remain focused on continuous improvement and innovation to ensure we provide the best support to our clients and their families.”

Shareridge received the utilities award. The civil engineering contractor is active in the design, planning, construction and project management across water, wastewater, roadworks and public realm sectors. “Winning the award is a proud moment for Shareridge,” said the company’s chief executive. Paul McNamara. “It reflects the dedication of our people and our commitment to the safe delivery of high-quality, sustainable infrastructure that strengthens essential services across Ireland.”

Three people were recognised for personal achievement: Denise Kennedy of Locomotive Europe, Mark Rohan of Klearcom and Dainagh McGee of Lidl. Judging co-ordinator Brian Coll described the calibre of award submissions as “exceptionally strong”, and he noted the trend for integration of digital technologies, data-driven decision-making and AI tools to support smarter, faster improvement.

Winners of the Operational Excellence Awards 2026

“We saw clear evidence of organisations using structured lean and operational excellence improvement methods to improve efficiency, enhance the customer experience and in many cases to support sustainability goals,” Coll said. “The best entries showed that lasting excellence comes from aligning the lean and [operational excellence] tools with the organisation’s strategy, people, process and technology.”

Neil Wall, community director at awards organiser Business River, thanked the event’s 2026 sponsors, ISS Ireland and We Can Save You Money, and recognised the support of Amárach Research. “Their investment in the awards underlines their commitment and support of this key business area,” he said.

Awards judges

Brian Coll (judging coordinator), lecturer, lean and operational excellence, Atlantic Technological University Sligo
Albert Aidoo-Anderson, lecturer and programme leader BSc business with supply chain & project management, University of Salford
Robert Burdock, manufacturing manager, upstream and downstream, Ipsen Manufacturing Ireland Limited (IMIL)
Paul Davis, associate professor, Dublin City University
Steve Giles, head of operations, Aurivo Consumer Foods
Ian Gourlay, founder of BP Solutions and lecturer for South East Technological University
Richard Hayes, operational excellence director, Viatris Ireland
Miriam Keogh, head of Supply chain, lean and HR, Dawn Farm Foods
Alessandro Laureani, lecturer, University of Buckingham
Gary Mander, procurement transformation – senior manager, EY
Olivia McDermott, associate professor, University of Galway
Michael O’Callaghan – director, IPICS, The Supply Chain Management Institute
Seamus O’Reilly, senior lecturer, University College Cork
Patrick Quinn, head of operations and business development, Cheshire Ireland
Jelena Vlajic, senior lecturer in supply chains and operations management, Queen’s Business School, Queen’s University Belfast
Darren Woods, chief executive, WD Excellence