Kieran O'Brien, Partner at KPMG Ireland and Head of Practice Operations and Aviation Advisory, has been confirmed as a member of the judging panel for the Aviation Industry Awards 2026, bringing over 25 years of experience advising the world's leading organisations in aviation finance, operational transformation, and large-scale programme delivery to Ireland's benchmark programme for aviation excellence and innovation.

At KPMG, O'Brien leads the Finance Transformation and Performance Service Line within the Management Consulting Group, a role that places him at the centre of some of the most complex and consequential transformation programmes undertaken by major aviation organisations globally.

His expertise spans financial and operational transformation, digital finance, and technology-driven change, giving him a command of the strategic and commercial dynamics that shape how aviation companies evolve, invest, and compete in an increasingly complex industry environment.

That depth of advisory experience, accumulated across more than two decades of working with world-leading organisations in commercial aviation and beyond, equips him to assess entries with a perspective that spans operational excellence, financial performance, and strategic innovation in equal measure.

His leadership in digital finance and technology-driven transformation reflects a practitioner's understanding of how aviation companies are navigating the intersection of aviation technology, data, and organisational change, themes that sit at the heart of several categories within the Aviation Industry Awards programme.

The Aviation Industry Awards, launched in 2014, spans 25 categories from Aviation Company of the Year and airport management to aviation innovation, airline safety, aviation technology, and Aviation Rising Star. O'Brien joins fellow panellists Adam Bouchard of Nashville International Airport, John Drysdale of Annadale Aviation, Aidan Flanagan of ACI EUROPE, Samantha Harding of SILC, Dr Kyriakos Kourousis of the University of Limerick, and Michael Treacy of Enterprise Ireland.

The awards gala will take place on 3 December 2026 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dublin Airport.

Visit the official Aviation Industry Awards website to explore past winners, review category details, and subscribe to the newsletter for insights and event updates.