Speakers

Abdulkadir Uraloğlu was born in 1966.
He holds a civil engineering degree from Karadeniz Technical University and commenced his professional journey as a field engineer in the private sector after graduating in 1988. He joined the Directorate General for Highways as a civil engineer in 1989 and held various positions until he was appointed as the Director General of Highways in 2018.
During his tenure, he was involved in the construction, planning and project works of new highways, divided roads, bridges and tunnel projects, which have significantly enhanced the country’s highway network.
In 2023, Mr Uraloğlu was appointed Minister of Transport and Infrastructure.
He is married and has three children.

Agnė Vaiciukevičiūtė is the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania and a member of the Vilnius City Municipal Council. Previously she worked as a Vice-Dean for Strategic Partnership of the Faculty of Business Management at VILNIUS TECH. Agnė‘s career has taken her to four continents, including North America and Australia, where she worked as a researcher at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington DC and the Australian Science Council Competence Center in Sydney, Australia. She has a PhD in Social Sciences (Economics) from VILNIUS TECH.

Agustina Calatayud is Head of Transportation Research at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). In addition, she leads the IDB transport portfolio in Colombia. Her work focuses on conducting applied research, structuring projects, and providing technical oversee to improve transport systems in LAC. Before joining IDB in 2010, she worked in the areas of private sector development and transport planning with several international organizations (European Commission, ILO, UN); the public sector (Municipality of Turin, Italy); as well as the private sector. She holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Systems Engineering from Newcastle University, UK, and Master’s Degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Padua, Italy. Her research on logistics and maritime transportation received international awards from the UK Charter Institute for Transport and Logistics, Emerald Publishing, and the European Logistics Association, and has been published by scientific journals, international organizations and academia.

Alberto Mazzola has been CER Executive Director since January 2021, representing its members towards EU policymakers and advocating rail as the backbone of a competitive and sustainable transport system in Europe. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration and Doctorate cum Laude in Nuclear Engineering from Politecnico Milan. His past roles have included Head of International Government Affairs for Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS), cabinet member of Italy’s State Holding Minister, adviser to the Romanian Minister of Industry and contributing to the worldwide business section of Leonardo Finmeccanica. Alberto Mazzola is also active in the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) since 2015.

Dr Alexandra König is a researcher and human factors specialist at the Institute of Transportation Systems of the German Aerospace Center in Braunschweig, Germany. Her academic background is in psychology. Her PhD thesis dealt with the user-centred development of demand-responsive transport systems. Her scientific interest lies in the research of accessible public transport. At the Summit, she will present a talk that stands under the title “BEAT – a Matrix-based Tool for Analysing and Assessing Accessibility”.

Andreas Carlson has served as Minister for Infrastructure and Housing since October 2022. He is leading the government’s work in transport, infrastructure, community planning and housing.

He served as a member of Parliament from 2010-2022, where he was a group leader for the Christian Democrats from 2015-2022 and Deputy Chair of the Committee of Justice from 2018-2022. He started his public service in Mullsjö Municipality in 2006, where he represented the party on the Municipal Council and the Municipal Executive Board.

Prior to being elected to Parliament, Andreas worked as press secretary in the European Parliament and as a journalist.

Ángel Cárdenas Sosa is Chief Manager of Urban Development and Creative Economies at CAF. In this unit, he leads a portfolio of more than USD 8 billion in urban operations focused on the sectors of mobility, water and sanitation, citizen security, creative economies, among others in the 20 member countries of the Institution. Cárdenas Sosa has more than 20 years of experience in multilateral banking holding roles such as Secretary General, Auditor General, Director of Infrastructure and Energy projects, among others.

Ángel Cárdenas Sosa is an economist, administrator and has master’s degrees in Public Management, Territorial Planning and Environmental Management, in Business Administration and is a PhD candidate in Political Science, is an Eisenhower Fellowship (fellow) where he studied public policy issues in the field of planning and development of infrastructures and their impacts on the governance and development of countries. He has also been an undergraduate and postgraduate professor at universities in Argentina, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Arun Thangaraj was appointed Deputy Minister of Transport on 20 February 2023.

Before joining Transport Canada, Arun was the Associate Deputy Minister at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, following two years as the Associate Deputy Minister at Transport Canada.

Before these roles, he was Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer at Global Affairs Canada and was the Deputy Chief Financial Officer at the former Canadian International Development Agency. He also brings experience and knowledge on transportation issues from his time at the Canadian Transportation Agency from 2002 to 2011.

Arun received the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for his contribution to the federal public service and his community. He has served on various governance boards and is a sessional lecturer in the School of Public Administration at Carleton University.

Arun is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Carleton University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa, and an Honours BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto.

Atsushi Uehara was appointed in June 2023 as the Vice Minister for International Affairs at the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). He has held various positions since joining the Ministry of Transport (presently MLIT) in 1987, including as Director-General of the Railway Bureau and Vice Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard. He has over 35 years of experience in various transport sectors, including aviation and maritime, having also worked at the Embassy of Japan in Thailand as First Secretary.

Azeb T. Legese is an expert in urban design and a researcher on sustainable mobility. She conducted various studies on walkability, inclusive transportation, sidewalk design for non-motorised transport (NMT), mobility behaviour and real-life experiments and the impact of active mobility on the health and sustainability of cities. She took post-graduate training on Sustainable Mobility, Spatial Planning, and Urban Africa-Scenario thinking in the Context of Rapid Urbanisation.

Currently, Azeb is a Research Associate and a PhD candidate at the Department of Cycling and Sustainable Mobility, University of Kassel, Germany. Azeb has international research experiences in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Namibia, and Germany. These engagements have given her the best practical experience in urban design and mobility systems.

Bing-yu Chiu, PhD, is a Research Fellow at the Japan Transport and Tourism Research Institute (JTTRI) in Tokyo, Japan. His research seeks to understand the relationship between transportation infrastructure investments, economic development, travel behaviour, and sustainability. Prior to joining JTTRI, he worked in Taiwan as a planning and infrastructure consultant, a legislative assistant contributing to legal amendment efforts for urban regeneration and affordable housing, a mayoral aide providing advice on public transit improvements as well as a columnist. He also interned at ICLEI and IGES, two environmental non-governmental organisations in South Korea and Japan, where he was involved in a car-free neighbourhood project and co-benefits policy research. He is a (co-)author of two books in English and Chinese. One of his books collects international best practice case studies of sustainable urbanism in the hope of inspiring the Taiwanese audience. The other, Going Green: Experiencing the Ecomobile Lifestyle, was an English-language publication which he co-authored with Germany-based Konrad Otto-Zimmermann to document the car-free neighbourhood project EcoMobility World Festival 2017 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He holds a PhD in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, USA, where he was advised by Prof. Erick Guerra.

Burkhard Jung, born in Siegen/Westphalia in 1958, has been the Mayor of the City of Leipzig since 2006. He holds several key positions, including Vice-president of the Association of German Cities and Vice-president of the Association of Saxon Cities and Municipalities. Additionally, he serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sparkasse Leipzig and Leipziger Messe GmbH (Leipzig Trade Fair Organisation), among others.

Jung is actively involved in various educational and cultural institutions, serving as a member of the Council of Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK) and the Supervisory Board of Leipzig Graduate School of Management (HHL). He is also the Chairman of the Bach Archive Leipzig Foundation and the Board of Trustees of the International Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Foundation and the Peaceful Revolution Foundation.

His career began in education, teaching German and Protestant Theology in Münster and Siegen. Following German reunification, he played a pivotal role in establishing and directing the Evangelisches Schulzentrum Leipzig in 1991.

Jung’s leadership extends beyond Leipzig, as he serves as President of Eurocities. Throughout his tenure, he has spearheaded initiatives for Leipzig’s development, including bids for major sporting events like the Olympics and the Football World Cup. Jung has been re-elected directly by the citizens of Leipzig, reflecting their continued trust and confidence in his leadership

Chiara Corazza, President of CCC, is the Private Sector Representative for France within G20 EMPOWER, appointed by President Emmanuel Macron, and a member of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council. She has been CEO of the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society (2017-2021). She is the author of the report “Women at the Heart of the Economy”. She was entrusted by the French Government, after the 2019 G7 Summit, to propose critical recommendations for the representation of girls and women in STEM and in the jobs of the future.

She was the Managing Director of the Greater Paris Investment Agency (2002-2016), which was created to attract global investments to the Paris Region. As Director of International Affairs of Greater Paris (1985-2002), she created the Metropolis and implemented cooperation between Paris and 20 global capitals.

Chiara is a member of the European Economic and Social Committee for France and of the Arab International Women’s Forum. She was nominated as the French Foreign Trade Advisor in 2019 and has been an independent board member of RATP and APRIL.

She was awarded Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur by Christine Lagarde (2009) and Ufficiale della Stella d’Italia by President Sergio Mattarella (2015).

Chiara is an Affiliated Professor at ESCP Business School.

Christelle Al Haddad is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Chair of Transportation Systems Engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, where she leads the “Human Factors” research group. She holds a PhD in Transportation Engineering (2022) from TUM, where she also earned her MSc in Transportation Systems (2018). Previously, she had completed her BEng in Civil Engineering (2015) from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Her research focuses on understanding and modelling human factors in transportation, including but not limited to road safety, emerging transportation modes (such as urban air mobility and hyperloop), and shared mobility in general. Her interests also span across understanding gender aspects of mobility and ethical concerns in relation to technological advances and smart city concepts. She is currently guest editing a special issue on gender in transport at the Journal of Transport Geography. Her research has been disseminated in national and international conferences, and in peer-reviewed publications that have attracted over 620 citations in about four years (H-index: 11).

Christian U. Haas serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Econolite Group and PTV Group, united under the brand Umovity. He has over 20 years of international management experience in the software and technology industry. Prior to joining PTV, the global leader in transportation modelling and simulation software, he led a European provider of digital solutions for financial services. As CEO, he initiated and significantly advanced the company’s transformation from a traditional software supplier to a SaaS company based on artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Previously, Christian U. Haas was Executive Vice President Europe at FIS, one of the leading global providers of financial technology solutions. Haas began his career at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Deutsche Bank.

Cristina is the Director of Global Electric Mobility for WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. She works to manage and expand WRI’s portfolio of work on zero-emission fleets for public transportation, freight and two-and-three wheelers globally.

Cristina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and a Master’s degree in Transportation Systems from the same university. She also holds a Project Management Specialisation at UFRGS.

Cyprine heads Critical Mass Nairobi, the largest cycling movement in Africa. She has a background in Urban Planning and has dedicated her career to advocating for sustainable transport solutions, as well as livable and inclusive cities. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the intersection of transportation, sustainability, and community development.

Cyprine has spearheaded numerous initiatives aimed at getting more people back on bicycles as well as changing the negative perceptions and cultural biases associated with cycling. Through innovative strategies, she has also successfully implemented projects that promote cycling and other sustainable modes of travel.

Whether addressing policymakers, industry leaders, or community members, she consistently advocates for inclusive, equitable transportation policies that prioritize people and the planet.

Cyprine is previous recipient of the Women Mobilize Women, Feminist in Transport Award and continues to use her voice to champion for equity and inclusivity in the transport sector.

With a deep commitment to creating greener, more livable cities, she is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities to embrace sustainable transportation as a key component of a healthier, more sustainable future.

Damian Bown is CEO at Trafi. He draws on his experience in innovation (working with some of the most successful transport apps) and operation (he launched and ran a bus company) to assist cities in procuring and implementing MaaS schemes.

Before joining Trafi, Damian was Business Development Director at Citymapper, a popular city navigation app. Prior to that, he was the UK Sales Director at Trapeze, a leading supplier of scheduling and tracking software for large transport operators and cities.

In 2000, Damian founded Kizoom, which went on to build the world’s first phone-based transport journey planner. He sold Kizoom to Trapeze in 2010. Damian has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from City University in London and an MBA from INSEAD, France.

Danilo Ebbinghaus is a Climate Resilience Expert graduated in Materials Sciences for Sustainable Construction from the École des Ponts ParisTech, France, and in Civil Engineering also from the École des Ponts ParisTech, France. He has always been interested in assessing the impact that climate change and natural disasters can cause on infrastructure projects and his expertise includes significant contributions to transportation modeling, climate data treatment with Python, and resilience studies, particularly analysing how flood-prone areas and extreme rainfall events impact infrastructure networks. He already delivered infrastructure risk assessments for projects in various countries, such as Germany, Australia, Finland, and Uzbekistan. Currently at ORIS Materials Intelligence, he leads the development of a new climate assessment methodology that equips policymakers with a comprehensive understanding of the impact of climate change across different pollution scenarios, providing them with detailed adaptation and mitigation strategies to enhance the climate resilience of their infrastructure projects.

Diego is the Chief of Strategy and Operator Contract Management at the Metropolitan Public Transport Authority (DTPM) of Santiago, Chile.

He is part of the team that has led the electrification process of Santiago’s fleet, achieving the current 2.400 zero-emission buses and the current tendering process, which expects to incorporate an additional 1200 electric buses.

He is a Civil Engineer with a specialisation in transport from the University of Chile and an MSc in Transport Planning from the University of Leeds.

He is also in charge of the team that leads the bus operators’ contracts. He has been working at the DTPM since 2013.

Emma is a global executive focused on transformation in the energy sector in a time of unprecedented change. She has been at bp for 27 years, working in both the Upstream and Downstream businesses and became Executive Vice President, Customers & Products from July 2020. Customers & products comprises all of bp’s customer-facing businesses such as Airbp, bp Pulse, Castrol, biofuels growth, all convenience and service stations across the globe and is home to more than 25,000 employees. Emma has held a variety of senior roles, including regional president for Western Africa, Chief Financial Officer for Asia Pacific and head of business development for global upstream gas. In Downstream, she held roles in retail, commercial fuels and planning. Emma studied Economics and Business at Trinity College Dublin before completing a Master’s in Management at ESCP Europe, graduating in 1995. She was a member of the Board of Directors for BP Pension Trustees Limited for 4 years until August 2020. Emma is a Fellow of the Energy Institute.  

Federico Banos-Lindner is the Group Senior Vice President for Government Relations and Public Affairs at DP World. In this role, he oversees the Group’s global government relations, public affairs, and partnership activities.

An internationally experienced senior executive, Mr Banos-Lindner has a deep understanding of business operations, external relations, geopolitical affairs, complex negotiations, and business-critical communications. He has also acquired considerable experience leveraging, protecting and enhancing corporate brand and reputation.

Mr Banos-Lindner’s career spans a wide range of leadership roles in business. He started his career with the Dow Chemical Company in Freeport, Texas, after receiving a BA in Political Science from the University of Houston. After completing an MBA at the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the same university, Mr Banos-Lindner joined Royal Dutch Shell (now Shell plc), where he held various management and senior management commercial and functional roles over a 16-year career with the energy major.

Mr Banos-Lindner leads Group Crisis Communications, sits on the Group Communications and Government Relations & Public Affairs Leadership Team and serves on the Federation of European Private Port Companies (FEPORT) board based in Brussels. He is a member of the Government Affairs 50, a community of the WorldFifty , as well as the World Economic Forum’s Global Affairs Advisory Group.

Felipe Bedoya-Maya is a PhD candidate in Applied Economics at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Previously, he served as an economist in the Inter-American Development Bank Transport Division and as a researcher at the Center for Economic and Financial Research at Universidad EAFIT. His research integrates applied econometrics, spatial analysis, and network science to advance sustainable and resilient development within the transportation sector. His work has been featured in multiple scientific journals, including Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, and Transport Policy. He earned his Master’s degree in Economics from Universidad EAFIT in Medellín, Colombia.

Florian Lorenz is a landscape architect and process designer with a focus on public space, mobility and postcarbon urbanism. He plans and facilitates urban transformation processes and cooperates with leading institutions in R&D projects on sustainable mobility and urban planning.

Currently, Lorenz cooperates in the transnational R+D projects MyFairShare and TuneOurBlock that explore strategic policy and planning approaches towards a fossil-fuel-free mobility system and public space organisation.

Mr Davenne graduated from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications d’Evry in 1988 and from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in 1999. Throughout his career, he has consistently promoted interdisciplinarity as a key factor for success. Having gained experience in international satellite telecommunications, he initially held various roles in the housing sector, making use of his strong financial and legal skills. He was involved in policy and regulation of the sector and managed key operational programmes, most notably for the city of Paris.

After three years with the French Ministry of Transport, working on railway safety and regulation, with an emphasis on European regulations, he was elected in 2012 as Secretary General of OTIF, the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail. From early 2013 to the end of 2018, he promoted interdisciplinarity and partnership building in order to expand and develop the uniform regulations for international carriage by rail.

Dr. Gianluca Ambrosetti is the CEO and Co-founder of Synhelion. Synhelion is a Swiss clean energy company that uses solar energy to produce carbon-neutral solar fuel to decarbonize transportation. The fuels produced by Synhelion – such as solar kerosene, gasoline, or diesel – can directly replace fossil fuels as they are fully compatible with existing global infrastructure. With its solar fuel technology, Synhelion offers a sustainable and economically viable alternative to fossil fuels and unlocks a clean future of transportation. 

Gianluca has a PhD in Physics and Nanotechnology from EPFL Lausanne. Before founding Synhelion, he held various leadership positions in the concentrated solar power and photovoltaics industry. His achievements include several patents and scientific publications, and he is the recipient of the EPFL Prix Prof. René Wasserman 2011. Gianluca is a passionate jazz soprano saxophone player and performs regularly at concerts and jazz festivals. 

Harald Seidel joined DAF in 2001 and has held various positions with increasing responsibility within DAF’s finance and control organisation.

In 2017, he was promoted to the position of Director of Finance and member of the DAF Board of Management, followed by his promotion to DAF President in 2022.

Harald Seidel obtained a master’s degree in Econometrics from Tilburg University and a postgraduate controller’s degree from the University of Amsterdam.

After graduating as an engineer in agriculture at the Comprehensive University of Kassel and as an environmental scientist at the Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, Hartmut Höppner started his career as a research assistant at the UNEP/UNESCO/BMU International Postgraduate Training Programme on Environmental Management at the Technical University of Dresden.

From 2000 to 2021, he worked at the German Bundestag before serving in various positions as Managing Director and Spokesman of the Rhineland-Palatinate FDP, Deputy Spokesman of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Government and high political coordinator on ministerial level.

Since 2022, Hartmut Höppner has been State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport.

Harvey Scorcia is a Principal Urban Mobility Specialist at Development Bank of Latin America (CAF). Harvey is a Colombian National and has more than 15 years of work experience in different countries in Latin America, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. Harvey holds a M.S. in Transportation and a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Additionally, Harvey holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering, and a M.S in Civil Engineering from the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). Prior to joining CAF, Harvey worked as a graduate assistant at MIT advising public transportation authorities in Chicago and London, as a senior consultant for Steer, and as an urban transport associate at the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Henrik Gudmundsson, Ph.D., is Senior Consultant in the Mobility Program of CONCITO – Denmark’s green think tank. Henrik is an expert in sustainable low carbon transport planning and assessment. Before joining CONCITO in 2016, he worked 10 years as Senior Researcher in transport policy analysis at the Technical University of Denmark. He has also served as transport specialist in three agencies of the Danish Ministry of Environment. Henrik has had leading positions in several European and international research projects and working groups. He has published academically on sustainability indicators, mobility, urban logistics, and transport policy. He is a former member and co-chair in the Sustainability Committee of the US Transportation Research Board and a former member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Transport Analysis Agency in Sweden.

Ioannis Xifaras has been the Secretary General of Transport at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport of Greece since March 2021. Responsible for the transport sector, he oversees and coordinates several projects related to aviation, railway, urban transportation, digital transformation, legislation, e-mobility, road safety, etc. His main goal is to ensure the improvement and modernisation of transport in Greece while adding value to the society, the economy and the environment.

He has extensive professional experience managing projects in the public and private sectors in the fields of infrastructure and transport, energy and specialised electromechanical systems, as well as in infrastructure for smart applications.

He is a licensed engineer, a graduate of the Electrical and Computer Engineering School of the Democritus University of Thrace, holder of an International MBA from Athens University of Economics & Business and an MSc in Computer, Telecommunications and Networks from the University of Thessaly.

He has been elected to the National Committee of the Technical Chamber of Greece since 2016.

Isabel Gomez holds degrees in Physics, Nuclear Energy, and Energy Business, as well as an MBA. She began her career at Iberdrola in the Power Generation team, later transitioning to roles in the Climate Change and Innovation directorates. Her passion for addressing climate change has driven her work, initially focusing on climate change issues and now on innovation and sustainability. Currently serving as a Senior Transport and Energy Analyst, she conducts analysis on decarbonisation technologies and policies in power generation and transport.

Jack Chambers is the Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin West. He is Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for International and Road Transport and Logistics, and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with special responsibility for Postal Policy.

He was elected to Dáil Éireann on his first attempt in the February 2016 General Election and was re-elected in the 2020 General Election.

Before entering the Dáil, he served as a Fingal County Councillor and as Deputy Mayor. He has been an active member of a number of Oireachtas committees, including Climate Action, Justice and Equality, and the Committee on Seanad Reform.

He is a Medical Doctor, having studied Medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, and he holds an honours degree in Law and Political Science from Trinity College Dublin.

Jacob Bangsgaard is Secretary General Mobility at the FIA. He came to the FIA from SAE Europe, where he held the position of Executive Director for Policy and Research. Mr Bangsgaard was for five years the CEO of ERTICO. Prior to that, he was Director General of FIA Region I, and he worked for the FIA Foundation in London as Director of International Relations. Mr Bangsgaard has held Board positions at the MaaS Alliance, INATBA, Euro NCAP, and eSafetyAware.

Jean-Luc Chapoton is Group International Business Development Director at RATP Dev, a world leader in urban and regional mobility. He is in charge of development, industrial partnerships, and international institutional relations. Since 2015, he has been involved in the different regions where RATP Dev is looking for new business opportunities: Latin America, Nordics, Europe, Canada, South Africa, and Asia Pacific.

After several roles as bid director and operations director covering France and international activities, Jean-Luc Chapoton joined RATP Dev in 2009. He led business development in the Middle East region and achieved major credentials: in 7 years, RATP Dev built strategic partnerships and has been awarded more than USD 7 Billion in contracts, including Riyadh Bus, Doha Metro & Tramway, Riyadh Metro Lines 1 & 2 operation and maintenance projects. He also established relations at the highest level in Serbia, enabling RATP Dev to sign its first contract for Belgrade Metro.

He was appointed Vice-President of the French and Arab Chamber of Commerce in May 2016.

Before joining the public transport operation and maintenance business in RATP DEV, Jean-Luc Chapoton was involved in different roles of management in the field of Mobile and Fixed Telecom infrastructures for Alcatel and Nortel Networks, as well as in the field of Intelligent Transport Solutions in Alstom Transport and ENGIE-INEO groups.

Jean-Luc Chapoton graduated with a Master of Science in Electronics and Business Administration.

John is Deputy Director for Travel and Environment Data and Statistics at the UK Department for Transport. He has spent the last decade tackling a range of transport data challenges, across roads, aviation, maritime, the environment and various forms of local transport, including key periods looking at statistical needs for the COVID-19 pandemic response and the UK’s departure from the European Union.

His current roles include Chair of the Working Party for Transport Statistics for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and leadership of a large team overseeing a range of areas that include the English Bus Open Data digital service and the English National Travel Survey.

Jon Ivar Nygård b. 1973 (Labour Party) took office as Minister of Transport in October 2021. He was previously mayor of Fredrikstad from 2011 and was a member of the city council from 1993. Nygård has held several positions in the Labour Party and in elected bodies. He was a member of the Labour Party’s national executive committee from 2003 to 2004 and has been a member of the executive board of the Labour Party from 2014 to 2023. He has been elected to the Norwegian Parliament as a representative for Østfold during the period 2021–2025. Nygård holds a Master’s degree from the University of Oslo and Østfold University College with studies in history, economics and political science.

An Industrial Civil Engineer who graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile with a Master’s in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, United States. He is a full professor in the Department of Transportation and Logistics Engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. He has extensive academic experience, conducting research in the areas of transportation operations, public transportation systems, logistics, and vehicular traffic theory, among others.

Until his appointment, he was a teaching professor in the Department of Transportation and Logistics Engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and Director of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CEDEUS). He was a member of the expert committee promoted by the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications of Chile to suggest improvements to public transport, and was director of the Santiago Metro and the Valparaíso Metro.

He is the editor of the book “Bus Rapid Transit and the Restructuring of Public Transit” (Policy Press, 2016) and has published multiple times in national and international journals on mobility and transportation, being recognised as an internationally renowned expert.

Juan Manuel Dominguez is in charge of prospective studies at SNCF Réseau in the Ile de France direction. Of Spanish origin, he has an academic background in engineering (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) and management (HEC Paris) and 8 years of professional experience mainly focused on transport economics and strategic studies (for example, the “Routes du futur du Grand Paris” international consultation).

Dr Julia Baker is a Technical Director of Nature Services at Mott MacDonald. Julia supports the public and private sector to integrate Nature within corporate strategies and disclosures following the TNFD framework, and throughout the lifecycle of a development project.

Julia is the lead author of the UK’s Good Practice Principles on Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), runs professional training courses on BNG and has designed and delivered BNG on numerous infrastructure projects. Her recent projects include the integration of climate resilience into BNG designs and long-term management plans.

Julia was named on the ENDs Power List of most influential environmental professions in 2022 and 2023, was CIEEM’s Member of the Year in 2023, and is a visiting researcher at the University of Oxford. Julia is also Chair of the Biodiversity Task Group by the Environmental Industries Commission.

Julia Hilbig, Master’s in International Politics (Uppsala University), is currently Head of Tender at nextbike with over 9 years of experience in the Bike Sharing industry. nexbike provides 90% of its schemes on behalf of municipalities, respectively, the local public transport operator based on public tenders. Julia started at nextbike in 2015 as Project Manager, implementing nextbike’s bikesharing systems in over 15 countries. Since 2021, she has been leading a designated team responsible for the submission of public tenders for nextbike.

Julia Simpson is President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council.  She spent 14 years in the aviation sector on the Board of British Airways and Iberia and as Chief of Staff at International Airlines Group. Before joining British Airways, Julia was senior adviser to the UK Prime Minister. She has held a number of key positions in the UK government and public sector, including Director at the Home Office and Department for Education and Employment; Assistant Chief Executive at the London Borough of Camden; and head of communications at the Communication Workers Union. Julia is currently on the Board of the London Chamber of Commerce. Julia believes in the power of travel to transform lives, grow economies, and protect the planet and its people. 

Karen Vancluysen was appointed as Secretary General of POLIS in 2014, after having been its Research Director for 8 years. Prior to that, she worked as network manager at ACCESS-Eurocities and as project manager at Langzaam Verkeer, a Belgian centre for mobility management. Since 1998, Karen has been involved in urban transport networking and policy activities, and EU research and innovation projects covering a wide range of urban mobility topics. She has been a speaker and moderator at many international high-level events, on a wide range of urban mobility and governance innovation themes. POLIS is the leading network of cities and regions on urban transport innovation. For over 30 years, members have been working together to develop and deploy sustainable and innovative urban mobility solutions for the city of today and tomorrow.

Karin Svensson is the Chief Sustainability Officer of the Volvo Group, with responsibility to drive the sustainability agenda. Karin Svensson joined the Volvo Group in 1996, and has worked in several roles and functions such as Public Affairs, Strategy and R&D. Karin has been active in a number of transport-related external groups and organizations both in Sweden, Belgium and US. Karin was chairman of the Board of the SAFER – the Vehicle and Traffic Safety Center at Chalmers University, 2012-2021. Karin is also on the board of the International Women Forum in Sweden.

Kathryn’s work at UN Women focuses on addressing sexual harassment in different settings, including in public spaces, transportation, workplaces and online. Prior to joining UN Women, she worked as Development Officer for Democratic Life at Concertation Montréal and is the former Executive Director of Women in Cities International (WICI). She has also worked as a global consultant on issues of gender, safety, public participation and urban development and governance since 2016. Kathryn has a successful history of developing and managing programmes in Canada and internationally and has effectively worked to broaden the understanding of women’s safety by bringing an intersectional approach to her work and by collaborating with different groups of women and girls to explore new related issues (accessibility, essential services, adolescence, etc.). She has a Master’s Degree in Urban Studies, a Master’s Degree in International Peace Studies, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology and Sociology. 

Ke leads Energy Minerals and Circularity as a programme area at WRI, addressing the grand challenge of meeting the world’s demand for energy transition minerals, both in time and in ways that are responsible for people and nature.

Prior to her current role at WRI, Ke was the Program Director of PACE (Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy), where she managed the program team and oversaw a broad portfolio including electronics, food, plastics, textiles, capital equipment, and metrics. She led PACE’s flagship knowledge products, such as the Circular Economy Action Agenda and Circular Economy as a Climate Strategy. She has successfully set up and managed complex partnerships in circular business model innovation, including EU Horizon CIRCUSOL (circular business models for the solar power industry).

Before pivoting her career to sustainability, Ke had nearly a decade of experience managing medical technology innovation at Philips. She holds a PhD in Applied Physics from Stanford University and an Executive MBA from Rotterdam School of Management.

Kees van der Burg was born in 1969 in Gorinchem. He studied Public Administration at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Kees chose as his specialisation Financial Economic Management.

In 1991, he started his career at the Ministry of Finance, where he fulfilled various positions such as Head of Division, after which he started working at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in 2002 as Deputy Director of the Financial Economic Department. In 2005, Kees was appointed as Director of the Social Support Department, and from 2009, he also was Deputy Director-General of Youth and Social Care. In 2011, Kees became Director of Long-term Care as well as Deputy Director-General of Long-term Care. On 1 September 2014, Kees started as Director-General of Long-Term Care. From this position, he was closely involved in the restructuring of Dutch healthcare.

As of 1 September 2019, Kees van der Burg started as Director-General of Mobility at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (DGMo). DGMo aims to further develop the network quality of the rail and road network as well as to ensure its safe and sustainable use by passengers and the transport sector. This contributes to the economic and spatial development of the Netherlands within the conditions of livability and safety.

Keith Walsh is Assistant Secretary General in the Irish Department of Transport. He is responsible for Road Transport Services and for the Department’s Digital Hub. The Road Transport Services sector has oversight of the policy areas of road safety, driver and traffic regulation, vehicle standards and road freight. It also includes the Department’s Strategic Research & Analysis Division which leads of economic appraisal and research. The Digital Hub brings together the Department’s ICT and related functions, including data & analytics, project management, IT infrastructure and security and applications management. These functions support a wide range of other teams across the Department, including public transport investment, climate action and maritime operations. Prior to his role in the Department, Keith held several senior management positions at the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (the Irish tax and customs administration), overseeing strategy, corporate reporting, statistics, and economic research. Keith holds a Masters and PhD in economics.

Lake Sagaris is an internationally recognised expert in cycle-inclusive urban planning, civil society development, and participatory planning theory and practice within urban-regional governance. With a growing emphasis on gender perspectives, she illuminates transport and mobility justice and intersectionality in both research and teaching. Notable contributions include pioneering studies on women, safety, and public transport, such as the Santiago case study “Ella se mueve segura” in collaboration with CAF/FIA Foundation, and spearheading action-research partnerships like Cool Routes to Schools initiatives in vulnerable neighbourhoods.

In 2019, Sagaris was acknowledged by the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative among Remarkable Women in Transport. She began her career as a freelance journalist in Chile, contributing to publications like the London Times and Miami Herald. Recognised as a fellow of Ashoka since 2007 and a fellow of Synergos since 2008, she has received numerous accolades, including the UN World Cycling Day Award (2022) and being named a Notable Woman of Transport by TUMI-GTZ in 2019.

Employing participatory action research methods and community-government partnerships in Chile, particularly Santiago, Sagaris champions an intermodal approach to advance sustainable transport, focusing on resilience, social justice, and inclusion, particularly in gender, safety, and security issues.

Magda Kopczyńska is the current Director-General for Mobility and Transport in the European Commission. Magda has held various leadership roles in the Commission, from Clean Transport and Sustainable Urban Mobility to Agriculture and Rural Development. Magda’s commitment remains focused on driving positive change in Europe’s mobility sector.

Mahnam is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at TU Delft in the Department of Transport and Planning. Previously, she was R&D project lead at Siemens Mobility (Hacon Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH). She received her Master’s degree in Civil Engineering with a specialisation in Transportation Engineering, and her PhD in Freight Transportation and Logistics. She was a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), where she was a recipient of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) grant.

Mahnam’s area of research addresses current challenges in the freight transport sector, specifically in the domains of railway freight, intermodal freight transportation, automation, digitalisation and energy transition. To achieve this, she utilises techniques such as agent technology, distributed optimisation, discrete events simulation, and AI. Additionally, she is keen on exploring novel and innovative methods in this domain, including bio-inspired and self-organisation algorithms.

Manpreet is an award-winning campaigner who has been working in youth and road safety for over ten years. He has worked globally to champion the cause of meaningful youth participation in road safety decision-making. He began at YOURS in 2009 heading up social action campaigns and developing the multi-award-winning YOURS Capacity Development Programme. He is currently the YOURS Capacity Development Director as well as Deputy Director of the organisation.

Manpreet has co-led on international road safety campaigns such as the UN Road Safety Week; #SlowDown and #SaveKidsLives campaigns and has helped strategize the week’s focus into strong advocacy campaigns.

As a lead facilitator at YOURS, Manpreet has worked to develop a range of training materials to engage youth actively in road safety through a brain-friendly, action-orientated methodology and has trained youth champions for road safety in more than 25 countries. These young people have gone on to advocate for road safety nationally and have championed road safety in their communities, amongst their peers, and on a range of platforms. His team is currently involved in developing innovative training solutions for young leaders in road safety, namely through the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety and the online road safety and sustainable mobility learning platform YOURS Academy.

Manpreet’s background lies in youth rights and participation he was previously a participation trainer for the National Children’s Bureau, the National Youth Agency, and Participation Works and has worked on programs with the Prince’s Trust and the International Youth Foundation.

Graduated in a bilingual Master in business and global trade, a Master in business administration as well as certificated with a degree in supply chain, Mr Malick Ndiaye has also just finished a Master of business administration at Paris Dauphine university. He has got more than 15 years of experience in multinational companies and in the fields of transport, including 8 years in Maersk line. This career allowed him to capitalise several fields of expertise, including in the Supply Chain and Logistic, planning the operation of shipping and land transport. He is named Minister of infrastructure, land and air transport of the first government from the presidential election in March 2024.

In 2018-2020 Skuodis was Vice-Minister of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania responsible for investment, export promotion, business environment and EU affairs. Prior to that, he served as Director of the International Relations Department of the Bank of Lithuania.

Skuodis has a PhD in Social Science from Vilnius University, an MPA in Public and Economic Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MA in European Studies from Vilnius University.

Mathias Cormann is the 6th Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). His five-year term commenced on 1 June 2021. 

Prior to his appointment to the OECD, Mathias served as the Australian Minister for Finance, the Leader of the Government in the Australian Senate and as Federal Senator representing the State of Western Australia. In these roles, he has been a strong advocate for the positive power of open markets, free trade and the importance of a rules-based international trading system.

Mathias was born and raised in the German-speaking part of Belgium. He migrated to Australia in 1996, attracted by the great lifestyle and opportunities on offer in Western Australia. Before migrating to Perth, Mathias had graduated in law at the Flemish Catholic University of Louvain (Leuven), following studies at the University of Namur and, as part of the European Erasmus Student Exchange Program, at the University of East Anglia. Between 1997 and 2003, he worked as Chief of Staff as well as Senior Adviser to various State and Federal Ministers in Australia and for the Premier of Western Australia. Between 2003 and 2007, Mathias worked for major Western Australian health insurer HBF in a range of senior management roles. In 2001, realising a childhood dream, Mathias obtained his private pilot’s licence.

Mathias grew up speaking German and graduated in law following studies in French, Flemish and English. He is married to Hayley, a Perth lawyer, and they have two young daughters, Isabelle and Charlotte.

Megha works as a senior transport planner at Cities Forum, a global strategic advisory firm and think tank that aims at being catalyst, working with cities and governments to solve their sustainable urban development challenges. She contributes to the organisation’s commitment to promote resilient, green, digital, inclusive, and sustainable cities around the world by spearheading transformative sustainable urban mobility projects across India, UAE, and Africa. She brings more than eight years of experience working with international research institutions and non-governmental organisations in areas that span integrated transport planning, transport emission analysis, zero-emission vehicles, active mobility, and participatory planning. Prior to her role at Cities Forum, Megha conducted research as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Urban and Regional Planning, TU Berlin, exploring the implications of autonomous vehicles on children’s future mobility to school. Complementing her research-intensive consultancy role, she also serves as a visiting lecturer at the Chair of Integrated Transport Planning, TU Berlin, enriching the next generation of transport planners with her insights. Megha earned her PhD in urban mobility planning and a master’s in architecture from IIT Roorkee, India.

At the ITF Summit 2024, she will be presenting her organisation’s research under the title “Accelerating EV Revolution: A Data-Driven Approach to Designing an Effective Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate Policy for India”.

Michael Berube oversees the Vehicle, Bioenergy and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies offices of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, as well as the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. This portfolio focuses on research and development to decarbonize the transportation sector and increase access to domestic, clean transportation fuels and improve the energy efficiency, convenience, and affordability of transporting people and goods to support US energy security, economic productivity, and competitiveness.

Mikaël is an engineer and economist working for the French railway infrastructure manager (SNCF Réseau) as responsible for socio-economic evaluation in the Occitanie region. He began his career in the Paris area, studying socio-economic benefits of railway projects related to high frequented train lines (RER A, RER B, RER D, etc.), before heading for the south of France in 2019. Ever since, he weighs pros and cons of many kinds of railway projects (urban/suburban, high speed line, reopening lines, etc.) thanks to traffic forecast and the French method for cost-benefit analysis.

Mohamed Hegazy is the Transport Lead of the Climate Champions Team (PT), working towards an equitable decarbonisation of transport, aligning the real economy (business, finance, civil society) with the Paris Agreement.

He is the Founder and Director of Transport for Cairo (TfC) L.L.P. TfC provides strategic advisory consultancy services, data, tech and research to improve urban mobility in emerging cities. With TfC, Mohamed successfully led the completion of more than 50 projects in 10 countries in Africa.

With 10 years of experience in project leadership, Mohamed focuses on data collection, data aggregation, data science and urban computing to transform ideas into practice. Academically trained in Economics, Sociology and Public Policy design, he specialises in solving real-world problems around deep decarbonisation of transport, informal system change management and digitalisation of transport using data-driven methodologies.

Born in Cairo, Egypt, Mohamed has cum laude degrees in Economics from the American University in Cairo (2012) and Governing the Large Metropolis from Sciences Po, Paris (2018). He also received training at the Center for Sustainable Urban Development, Columbia University, New York (2018). He is currently based in Cairo.

Mohammed Abdeljalil, appointed Minister of Transport and Logistics on 7 October 2021, was born in Rabat on August 4^th, 1968.
After his high school degree and preparatory classes, he joined the National School of Bridges and Roads (ENPC) in Paris to pursue engineering studies, graduating in 1991. From 1999 to 2001, he obtained an MBA co-organised by the ENPC and the Hassania School of Public Works in Casablanca (EHTP). As an engineer, he was nominated in various ranks both in the private sector, where he began his career, and in the public administration. At Arthur Andersen in Paris, he was appointed as an auditor, where he remained until 1993. In 1998, he returned to Morocco, where the company Bymaro (a subsidiary of the Bouygues group) entrusted him with the management of the El Hank pre-treatment station in Casablanca. He was then appointed sales manager in charge of detecting, analysing and selecting projects and preparing commercial proposals.
In 2003, he joined the public administration as Director of Programmes and Studies at the Ministry of Equipment and Transport, where he participated in implementing important projects such as the creation of the Road Financing Fund and the liberalisation of air transport. Two years later, in 2005, he was appointed General Director of the Port Exploitation Office (ODEP), where he participated in the implementation of the port reform (subject of law 15-02).
He successfully led the transformation of the Office and became the first CEO of the Company Marsa Maroc on 1 December 2006.
He negotiated and signed the concessions for the new Terminal TC4 in Tangier Med II and the new Terminal TC3 in Casablanca and supervised the improvement of the quality service of the container terminal of the port of Casablanca to overcome the congestion crisis of the 2007 summer. In the summer of 2016, he successfully led the IPO of the country’s leading port operator, Marsa Maroc.

Nicolas Peltier-Thiberge is the Global Director for the Transport Sector in the Infrastructure Practice Group of the World Bank. Mr. Peltier-Thiberge joined the World Bank in 2002 as a Young Professional and he has since held various positions in the Transport Global Practice, managing World Bank-financed transport investments in multiple regions, including North Africa and the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa.

Between 2012 and 2015, Mr. Peltier-Thiberge was a Portfolio Assistant in the Office of the World Bank Group President. From 2015 to 2022, Mr. Peltier-Thiberge has been a Practice Manager in charge of the World Bank’s Transport business in North Africa and the Middle East, West and Central Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. In May 2022, he became the Global Director for the Transport Sector.

Prior to joining the World Bank, Mr. Peltier-Thiberge worked in the French Ministry of Economy and Industry and in the French Treasury. Mr. Peltier-Thiberge holds graduate diplomas in science and civil engineering, as well as technology and policy from Ecole Polytechnique (France), Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (France), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (United States).

Óscar Puente Santiago was appointed as Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility on 20 November 2023, and he has been a Member of Parliament since July 2023.

Mr Puente was born on 15 November 1968 in Valladolid. He holds a degree in Law from the University of Valladolid and a master’s degree in Political Management from the Jaime Vera Foundation. He worked as a lawyer between 1995 and 2015, when he became Mayor of Valladolid.

He served as Mayor of Valladolid from June 2015 to May 2023, and he chaired the Spanish Network of Healthy Cities of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) between November 2015 and December 2019. He was a member of the FEMP board between September 2019 and May 2023, and a representative of the FEMP in the urban initiatives network between October 2020 and May 2023. He has also been the first vice president of the Iberian-American Organization for Intermunicipal Cooperation (OICI).

Patricia Hu (Pat) is the Director of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) since 2011.  Prior to that appointment, she was the Director of the Center for Transportation Analysis at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  At the Center, she led a multidisciplinary team of researchers to tackle transportation challenges ranging from developing tools to inform long-term infrastructure investment decisions to applying nano technology to track commodity flow.  As BTS Director, she serves as US DOT’s Secretary’s senior advisor on data and statistics, and is responsible for directing a federal statistical agency to enhance the relevance, quality, timeliness, accessibility, and availability of transportation statistics and information to inform transportation decisions.  The Foundation for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 designated Ms. Hu as US DOT’s Statistical Official. 

For the past four decades, Ms. Hu has led numerous research projects, and published extensively, in the areas of travel behaviour, traffic operations, transportation safety and security, data models, and visualisation.  Ms. Hu is active at the National Research Council’s Transportation Research Board (TRB), and at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s International Transport Forum (ITF) in Paris, France.  Currently, she co-chairs TRB’s Transportation Research Record Advisory Board, serves on other TRB committees; and chairs ITF’s Annual International Transport Statistics meeting.  She served on the editorial advisory board of the international journal Accident Analysis & Prevention from 1996 to 1999, and on the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Transportation and Statistics from 1998 to 2005.  Pat Hu received her B.S. in Statistics from the Chengchi University in Taiwan, and an M.S. in Statistics from the University of Guelph at Canada.

As Secretary General of PIARC (World Road Association), Patrick Malléjacq’s mission is to provide support to road administrations and professionals across the globe.
PIARC focuses on identifying and disseminating best practice between all PIARC members, including governments from 124 member countries, high income as well low- and middle-income countries. More than 20 PIARC Technical Committees are in operation, through which 1 000 international experts share knowledge on a wide range of topics, including resilience of road infrastructure and transportation systems, road safety, tunnels operations, road network operations, road and transport planning, etc. PIARC also publishes the “Routes/Roads” magazine, and operates an ambitious knowledge-sharing programme with the publication of a report per month and the organisation of a seminar every six weeks on average.
After delivering the 26th World Road Congress (Abu Dhabi, October 2019), kick-starting the 2020 – 2023 Technical Committees in 2020, and organising more than 30 online seminars on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on roads, Patrick’s current projects include supporting Committees in the organisation of virtual seminars (while the pandemic lasts) and in the early publication of knowledge products, organising the XVIth World Winter Service and Road Resilience Congress, with Transport Canada and Calgary (Canada) in February 2022, preparing the return to normal, with face-to-face seminars and Congresses, and planning for the XXVIIth World Road Congress, which will take place in October 2023 in Prague (Czech Republic).
Patrick is a French civil servant (« ingenieur général des Ponts, des eaux et des forêts »). Before joining PIARC, he was instrumental in organising the Transport Research Arena conference in Paris in 2014 and in developing EU-sponsored research programmes and projects at IFSTTAR-France. He held positions at SETRA-France and at the French ministry of transport, mainly on road safety and ITS issues, and led « EasyWay » implementation projects. Patrick was posted at the French Embassy in Tokyo and started his career at IGN, the French national mapping institute.

Pierre-Martin Huet is the head of CSR for Michelin and a member of the Group Direction Committee.

Passionate about sustainability, he has developed a pragmatic vision through his 20-plus years of experience in operations built in North America, Europe and Asia. In his previous role as Head of Global Supply Chain, he led the Group’s transformation towards a customer-centric and low-carbon supply chain in line with Michelin’s “All Sustainable” strategy. Results include delivering a 25% carbon footprint reduction 7 years ahead of the SBTI-validated agenda.

Pierre-Martin holds an Engineering degree from the Ecole Polytechnique and a Master’s degree in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University.

Polly Trottenberg is Deputy Secretary at the US Department of Transportation (USDOT). As the number two official and Chief Operating Officer, she supports Secretary Buttigieg in providing leadership, strategic vision, and management for USDOT. Trottenberg has helped lead the agency’s implementation of the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which created over 40 new programs to invest in all modes of transportation, including the creation of a national EV charging network. She also helps lead the agency’s efforts on roadway safety, technology, and cybersecurity.

In 2023, Trottenberg also served as the Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, helping to oversee the agency and form a new leadership team while focusing on aviation safety, air traffic control staffing, and increased investments in the agency’s infrastructure and technology.

Trottenberg served as New York City’s Transportation Commissioner for seven years, where she ran a complex 5,800-person agency responsible for the safe, efficient, and equitable operations of New York City’s transportation network. In NYC, she helped implement the landmark Vision Zero program, the first in the U.S., taking a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to significantly reduce traffic fatalities and injuries. She also led the NYCDOT through COVID-19 response and recovery, prioritising transforming City streets to promote livability, sustainable transportation, and economic recovery.

Trottenberg served at USDOT in the Obama Administration as the Assistant Secretary and Under Secretary for Policy. She also served in the Senate for 12 years for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Majority Leader Charles Schumer, and Senator Barbara Boxer. Trottenberg graduated from Barnard College and received her Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Rahman Hummatov was born in 1977. In 1998, he graduated with honours from the Institute of National Economy Management under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan with a bachelor’s degree in Business Organisation and Management. In 2000, he graduated with honours from the Institute of National Economy Management under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan with a master’s degree in Engineering Economics and Management. In 2004, he graduated from the doctoral school of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and received a PhD in Law. From 1998 to 2008, he held various positions at the National Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan. From 2006 to 2016, he worked as Deputy Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Mortgage Fund under the National Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan. From 2016 to 2018, he worked as a member of the Board of Azerbaijan Mortgage Fund OJSC. In 2018, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of the Mortgage and Credit Guarantee Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated 14 February 2018. Since 2021, he has been Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Rana Adib is the Executive Director of REN21, the only global renewable energy community of actors from science, governments, NGOs and industry, headquartered at the UNEP in Paris, France. She is also the chair of SLOCAT, an international multi-stakeholder partnership enabling knowledge and action for sustainable, low carbon transport.

Rana has worked in private industry and applied research in the areas of renewable energy, energy access, and waste management. She was also responsible for coordinating the biogas-to-energy research programme of Veolia Environment.

Rana has over 20 years of experience in the energy sector, and holds a master’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Wedel in Germany.

Reinaldo Fioravanti is the Principal Specialist in the Transportation Division of the IDB, responsible for the structuring of large infrastructure projects and advising governments on the design and implementation of transportation policies throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. He leads work groups in the areas of logistics, aviation and urban mobility, among others. He has a master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University and Supply Chain Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology / ZLC Spain, and a PhD in Transportation Engineering from the State University of Campinas. Before joining the IDB, he worked as a Supply Chain Manager at Hewlett Packard, leading projects in Latin America and Asia, and as an associate researcher at the University of Campinas.

Ririn Radiawati Kusuma is a public policy and government affairs professional with more than a decade’s experience in various sectors including journalism, research and advocacy. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Public Policy. She worked as a journalist for five years before continuing her career in advocacy. Some of the projects she was involved prior to joining Clean Air Asia as Indonesia Director were improving building codes for high rise-high density building in Jakarta, ease of building construction regulation in Indonesia, advocacy in improving air quality in Jakarta, and accelerating the adoption of EV in Indonesia.

Rob Johnston is the Assistant General Secretary of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), a global union federation representing more than 700 transport unions with a total membership of 18.5 million workers in 150 countries across maritime, port, aviation, road, rail and urban transport sectors.

Rob Johnston was appointed by the ITF executive board in April 2016 and prior to this his career, which spans over 35 years in the trade union movement, has included several international posts, that have seen him become a highly experienced executive-level global industrial relations expert, skilled in leading complex negotiations and expert in operational leadership and organisational change. Under Rob’s tenure, the ITF has transformed into a proactive campaigning organisation, more relevant to the workers in representing the changing landscape of work and the planetary challenges we all face.

As AGS, Rob is responsible for the organisation’s regional development, building and maintaining strategic partnerships that focus on sustainability and growth, and developing alliances that support and protect diverse groups of workers within the transport sector and across the various supply chains that depend on them.

Before joining the European Investment Bank as Vice-President as of 1 February 2024, Robert de Groot was the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the European Union from May 2017 to January 2024. After joining the Netherlands’ Foreign Service in 1989, he has held various positions with the Foreign Ministry, both in The Hague and abroad.
From 2011 to 2016, Robert de Groot was Director-General for European Cooperation (also during the Dutch European Presidency in 2016). Furthermore, he was Deputy Director General for Political Affairs from 2008 to 2011, Director of the Security Policy Department from 2005 to 2008 and Head of the Bureau of the Secretary General from 2002 to 2005. Prior to that, he was the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Netherlands’ Prime Minister, Mr Wim Kok (within the Ministry of General Affairs), from 1998 to 2002.
Robert de Groot holds a Master’s Degree in Monetary Economics from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

His Excellency the Minister has been appointed by the royal decree on 23 October 2019.

He chairs several boards and committees. The most prominent of which are: Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Saudi Ports Authority, the Transport General Authority, the Saudi Railways Company (SAR), the Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Industry and Logistics Development Programme, Chairman of the Saudi-Jordanian Joint Committee, and Chairman of the Transport and Border Ports Committee of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council. He is also a member of several boards of directors and committees.

Saleh bin Nasser bin Alali Aljasser has a rich experience of more than 30 years in the field of business administration, leading companies and non-governmental organisations, He also held important positions before his appointment as Minister of Transport, where he held the position of Director General of the Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation and a member of its Board of Directors. Prior to that, he was CEO of the Saudi National Shipping Company “Bahri”, after spending 7 years in the Abdul Latif Jameel Group as Executive General Manager for the “Lexus” sector and then for Toyota operations.

Minister Saleh bin Nasser bin Alali Aljasser holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from King Saud University and a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from King Abdulaziz University. He also received extensive training in a number of prestigious institutes, such as graduating from the bankers training program for Lloyds Bank in the United Kingdom, the internal credit training program for the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, a one-year bankers’ fellowship programme with Chase Manhattan Bank in New York and a management training programme at Cranfield University in the UK, an executive training programme in communications management at the INSEAD Institute in France, the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard University, USA, and the Advanced Management Programme at Oxford University, UK.

Shin Seung-kyu is Senior Vice President and Head of Policy Coordination at Hyundai Motor Group. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from SungKyunKwan University and pursued an MBA at Seoul National University. With over two decades of experience, Shin has held key positions within Hyundai Motor Group, including Vice President of the Strategy Planning Division and Director of the Brussels Office. He currently serves as a Board Director for the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association, and the Korea Electric Vehicle Association, demonstrating his influential role in shaping industry initiatives.

The company G7 Connect is the largest logistics technology company in China, serving logistics companies to help them improve operation efficiency through digitalisation. Before joining G7 Connect, Shuai was in charge of DiDi Chuxing’s innovative transit business line. Prior to DiDi, she worked with the Global Infrastructure Facility at the World Bank on public-private partnerships and financial structuring for projects in Asian countries to attract private-sector investment. She also worked on the World Bank’s Transport Global Practice department on lending and advisory projects in China, focusing on urban mobility and municipal financing. Shuai holds a Master’s of Urban Planning from New York University and a Bachelor of Urban Planning from Peking University.

Sigrid de Vries is the Director General of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), having taken up position in September 2022.

Ms de Vries has long-standing experience working for strategic EU industry sectors – from automobile manufacturers to automotive suppliers, to the construction equipment sector.

She has held various external affairs and leadership roles, and has a strong track record in representing industries in times of fast-paced transformation.

Prior to her current appointment at ACEA, Sigrid de Vries was Secretary General of the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA). She also led the Association of the European Construction Equipment Industry (CECE), and headed the external relations and communications department at CNH Industrial.

De Vries previously acted as ACEA’s Director of Communications and Public Relations between 2006 and 2012.

A Dutch national, Ms de Vries studied journalism in the Netherlands. She worked for over a decade as a correspondent for a major financial newspaper, reporting from Amsterdam, Brussels and Berlin.

Sita Holtslag leads Drive to Zero’s activities in Europe, supporting and advancing the Global MoU, which includes many European nations. Prior to joining CALSTART, Sita spent the past 14 years working for the Dutch Government in various roles and ministries, most recently with their Enterprise Agency and Ministry of Infrastructure, leading their international freight and logistics efforts.

Her focus is on the transformation of commercial vehicles to zero-emission technologies, emphasising policy advocacy and industry engagement to strengthen regulations, secure zero-emissions commitments, accelerate infrastructure investments, and scale vehicle deployments.

Stefan Bakker has over fifteen years’ experience in research, policy and management on transport and climate change. He obtained his PhD from the University of Twente, faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, on the topic of transport and climate change policy. He is currently a sustainable mobility researcher with the Netherlands’ Institute for Transport Policy Analysis (KiM), an independent knowledge institute within the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
Before joining KiM, he was an independent low-carbon transport consultant. Earlier, he was employed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). He was the team leader of the ASEAN-German technical cooperation project on “Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Mitigation for the Land Transport Sector in the ASEAN Region. He also worked for nine years as an energy, transport and climate policy expert with the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands. He has authored a large number of publications on sustainable transport and international climate change policy.

Susanna is the Director General of the International Road Federation (IRF) in Geneva, Switzerland, a global organisation with the mission to promote the development of road networks that enable access to and sustainable mobility for all.

A well-recognised expert with 18 years of experience in the transport sector, Susanna is an untiring advocate for road safety. She has served as Chairperson of the “Safer Roads and Mobility” Pillar of the UN Road Safety Collaboration Group (UNRSC) and supports several other initiatives supporting the road safety agenda.

Building capacity at all levels and facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships are central in her work and that of IRF. Susanna is involved in Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All), federating 57 leading transport stakeholders. She currently serves as a Steering Committee Member and has co-led the WG road safety and the WG data sharing. Susanna is part of the International Coordinating Council of the US Transportation Research Board (TRB).

Dr. T. Edward Yu is a Professor and the Graduate Director in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Tennessee. He has led and co-investigated various grant projects to evaluate the economics of biofuels from different agricultural and forestry feedstock and the related environmental impacts over the past two decades. His recent research has primarily focused on the economics of developing a regional sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production system from various feedstock and the nexus of bioenergy, agriculture, and the environment, such as GHG emissions, soil organic carbon, and water quality. His research has been disseminated in prestigious journals and national/international meetings and featured in the public press. Dr. Yu is co-leading a Tennessee team for the feedstock supply analysis for SAF in the Aviation Sustainable Center under the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. He is a member of the Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Environmental Issues in Aviation (AV030) in 2024-2027.
Dr. Yu received his M.S. in Economics from Iowa State University and his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University in 2005.

Tanya is ExxonMobil’s Vice President of Europe, Africa, and Middle East (EAME) Energy Products, based in Brussels, Belgium. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, USA in 1997 and began her career with ExxonMobil that same year.

Over the last 26 years, Tanya has served in various capacities across ExxonMobil’s Technology, Marketing, Sales, Refining Operations, Maintenance, & Technical, and Corporate Planning organisations while working in New Jersey, Virginia, California, Texas, Illinois, and now Brussels.

Tanya assumed her current position in September 2023. In this role, she leads the integrated Energy Products business across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In addition to her organizational responsibilities, Tanya mentors several employees and is an active supporter of ExxonMobil’s employee resource groups.

Outside of work, Tanya enjoys traveling, attending concerts, and watching sporting events with her husband.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 26 July 2023 the appointment of Tatiana Molcean of Moldova as the next Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Ms Molcean brings to the position twenty years of experience in the public sector with extensive international cooperation and development experience, and in-depth knowledge and expertise across the entire ECE membership. She was the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the United Nations Office, World Trade Organization and other international organisations in Geneva until 31 August 2023. She served as State Secretary and Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Bilateral Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (2017-2020), Deputy Director General for European Integration and Head of the Division for Economic and Sector Cooperation with the European Union (2012-2017) and Head of the Division for Economic Cooperation and Sectorial Coordination at the General Directorate for European Integration (2004-2008). A career diplomat, she has also served as Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova to Sweden (2008-2011). Ms Molcean holds a LLM Degree in Law from the Faculty of International Law at Moldova State University and completed the Multilateral Diplomacy Program from the Graduate Institute of Geneva, Switzerland. She is fluent in Romanian, English and Russian, with advanced knowledge of French.

Thaynara Silva has been working with Strategic Economic Studies at SNCF Voyageurs since 2023, following five years as responsible of socioeconomic studies at SNCF Réseau. She is also a member  of SNCF Group’s network of experts, focusing on sustainable mobility and climate change mitigation and adaptation. In her role, she oversees studies assessing the vulnerability of rail infrastructure and strategically manages financial aspects of adaptation projects.

Thaynara holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from the Polytechnic School of Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ, Brazil, where she gained expertise in environmental assessment. She furthered her education with a Master of Science in Sustainable Technology from KTH, Sweden, and Transportation Economics from École Polytechnique, École des Ponts, and École des Mines Paristech.

Timothy Papandreou is a pragmatic futurist, who leverages policy, technology, and strategy to build the future now. He’s a thought leader on AI, supply chains, and digital transformation’s impact on society. As Founder and CEO of ETA Advisors, Tim empowers investors, startups, and governments to navigate the ever-changing tech landscape. His experience includes advising Google X, the Moonshot Factory, where he commercialised cutting-edge technologies.

Tim’s a prolific collaborator. He mentors startups, co-authored a book on sustainable design, and has expertise in smart cities, mobility, blockchain, and space. Previously, he led partnerships at X, contributing to the launch of Waymo, and was the City of San Francisco’s first Chief Innovation Officer for Mobility. His ability to bridge the gap between visionary ideas and real-world results has led him to work on six continents with key leaders.

Victoria Sheehan is the executive director of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) provides leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. 

Sheehan came to the National Academies from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (DOT), where she was commissioner for seven years. Responsible for an operating budget of over $650 million, she oversaw a staff of more than 1,600 employees representing diverse areas such as aeronautics, rail, transit, construction, operations, finance, and administration. Her team led the development of New Hampshire’s Ten-Year Transportation Plan, and Sheehan worked directly with the governor, general court, and executive council to ensure it would address the state’s growing needs.

Before joining the New Hampshire DOT, Sheehan spent 10 years at the Massachusetts DOT leading strategic planning and highway performance, managing the bridge consulting program, and overseeing an eight-year, $3 billion Accelerated Bridge Program. Sheehan served as president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) for 2020-2021 and has been an active board member in a range of other professional organizations. She holds a master’s degree in structural engineering and architecture from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Transport and Roads Engineer from the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Transport specialist from Universidad Nacional de Colombia and with a master’s degree in urban planning from Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. Currently, at Benito Juárez University, he is studying for a doctorate in Project Management.

With extensive experience in sustainable mobility projects; in road planning as well as in rural, urban and regional projects; in formulation, design, monitoring and implementation of projects related to territorial and land use, urban and regional planning, transit, transport, mobility and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).

Likewise, its leadership in managing, structuring, assessing, monitoring and control of mobility, infrastructure and road safety projects stands out. He has also been a postgraduate professor at different universities in the country on issues of mobility, road safety, project management and logistics.

Mr. Camargo has held various public positions such as Secretary of Mobility in Cali, Undersecretary of Mobility Services in Bogotá, and Director of the Urban Development Institute (IDU). He has also been director of Roads, Transportation and Public Services of District Planning in the country’s capital, as well as advisor and consultant on issues of mobility, urban planning, infrastructure and ITS.

He was manager of the Vías Inteligentes project and accompanied consultancies on road safety issues for the National Road Safety Agency (ANSV) and on instruments and sources of financing for the municipalities of Antioquia. He also served as President of the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI).

Born in Landau in der Pfalz on 22 April 1970 1989 School leaving certificate, Staatliches Gymnasium Bad Bergzabern (high school) 1989 – 1994 Studied law at the Saarland University in Saarbrücken and Albert Ludwigs University in Freiburg im Breisgau, First State Examination in Law 1996 Second State Examination in Law in Mainz 1997 Doctorate at the Westfälische Wilhelms University in Münster 1997 – 1999 Judge and Public Prosecutor in Zweibrücken and Landau in der Pfalz 2000 – 2004 Personal assistant to the Minister of Justice of the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate, Herbert Martin 2001 Appointed Judge at the Regional Court of Landau in der Pfalz 2004 – 2013 Member of the German Bundestag 2009 – 2011 Chairman of the German Bundestag Finance Committee Since 2011 Chairman of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) in Rhineland-Palatinate 2011 – 2013 Deputy Chairman of the FDP Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag Since 2013 Member of the Executive Committee of the FDP Since 2013 Lawyer 2016 – 2021 Member of the State Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economy, Transport, Agriculture and Viniculture of the Federal State of Rhineland Palatinate 2020 – 2021 Secretary General of the FDP Since 2021 Member of the German Bundestag Since December 2021 Federal Minister for Digital and Transport.

Wagner Colombini Martins is a Civil Engineer, former professor at the University of São Paulo, mobility and transport planning consultant, and president of Logit Consulting Inc. With over 35 years of experience, he specialises in Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and has led BRT design studies in more than 30 countries across the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Many of his projects have won International Sustainable Transport Awards (STA), a global recognition conferred by a committee of international experts in sustainable transport and development.

Mr Won-kug Baek is the Vice Minister for Transport at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea.

Since assuming his current role in July 2023, he has been at the forefront of the Ministry’s efforts in advancing the nation’s transport infrastructure, spanning from railways to roads, aviation, and advanced mobility. Particularly noteworthy is his leadership in promoting the transport and logistics sectors’ recovery following the covid-19 pandemic. Currently, Mr Baek is spearheading the Ministry’s initiatives to strengthen the country’s transport network and enhance public convenience, which include accelerating the construction of a new airport in Gadeokdo and the establishment of a new metropolitan express railway network, called the GTX.

Prior to this role, he served as the Secretary to the President for Land, Infrastructure and Transport at the President’s Office. Before working as a Secretary to the President, Mr Baek held various significant positions within the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which include: Director General for Territorial Policy, Director General of Urban Regeneration Planning Office, and Director General for Housing Welfare Policy.

Mr Baek earned a master’s degree at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Master’s Program in Future Strategy (KAIST-MSF) and a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Sungkyunkwan University, ROK.

A geographer-urbanist by training, Yannick Autret holds a master’s degree in planning, urbanism and spatial dynamics from the Sorbonne University, and works in the Research and Innovation Department of the Ministry of Ecological Transition in France.

He is a certified international expert in natural resource management, specialising in the environmental impacts of transport and energy, and he manages the national research programme ITTECOP (Transport Infrastructure, Territories, Ecosystems and Landscapes).

Yannick is the MTECT representative to the OECD Joint Transport Research Centre and a member of the Governance Board of the European research network IENE (Infrastructure and Ecology Network Europe).

He led the H2020 BISON project (Biodiversity and infrastructure, synergies and opportunities for European transport networks), which brought together 16 countries and set the strategic research and innovation agenda on infrastructure and biodiversity at the European and international levels.

He is a member of the UNEP sustainable infrastructure partnership – community of learners – and collaborates with the GEF 8 on sustainable infrastructure topics.

Born in December 1969, Mr Li currently serves as the Vice Minister of Transport of the People’s Republic of China. Holding a doctoral degree and the professional title of research fellow, Mr Li brings a wealth of expertise to his role.

With a career spanning over two decades, Mr Li has held various significant positions within the Ministry of Transport (MOT) of China. His journey includes serving as Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation, where he played a crucial role in promoting global partnerships and collaboration in the transportation sector. Additionally, Mr Li has spearheaded initiatives as President of the China Waterborne Transport Research Institute (WTI), contributing to advancements in waterborne transportation research and innovation.

In his current capacity as Vice Minister, Mr Li oversees the Department of International Cooperation and serves as the Director-General of the Global Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center.

Dr Young Tae Kim is the Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD. Elected by transport ministers of the ITF member countries in 2017, he was confirmed for a second five-year mandate in 2022. Under the leadership of  Secretary-General Kim, the ITF has grown from 59 to 66 member countries and into a truly global organisation with a presence on five continents. He has strengthened the ITF’s role as a convener of transport policy leaders and global platform for dialogue for better transport, inter alia by establishing Regional High-level Dialogues on Transport for Asia, Latin America and in Europe, that complement the ITF Summit, the world’s premier transport policy event and largest gathering of transport ministers.

Before becoming ITF Secretary-General, Dr Kim distinguished himself in the civil service of his native Korea, serving as Director-General in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT). As Deputy Director-General from 2015, he was responsible for co-ordinating various transport policies including for autonomous vehicles, greenhouse gas reduction, urban transport, Intelligent Transport Systems and road safety, among others.

Dr Kim also held several Deputy Director and Director positions with responsibility for housing welfare, integrated city development and overseas infrastructure construction. He was seconded to the Prime Minister’s Commission on Administrative Reform in 1996 and the Presidential Committee on Social Inclusion in 2005-07. From 2010 to 2014, Dr Kim worked at the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., as Counsellor for Construction, Transport and Maritime Affairs.

Dr Kim earned Master’s degrees in Public Policy from Seoul National University, Korea, and in Urban Studies from Paris University de Vincennes-Saint-Denis, France. He also received his Doctoral degree in Political Sociology and Public Policy from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences-Po) in Paris, France.

Dr Kim speaks fluent English, French and some Spanish, in addition to his native Korean.

As Chief Sustainability Officer at Toyota Motor Corporation, Yumi Otsuka is leading Toyota’s corporate mission “Producing Happiness for All”, and commitment to helping build a sustainable society.

She joined Toyota as one of the first female career-track administrative new recruits. Since then, she has consistently demonstrated leadership in promoting diversity and sustainability at the front line of transformation, including the “Diversity Project”, the “Mirai (future) Project”, and the creation of a motorsports business.

She graduated from the School of Law, Osaka University (Japan) and earned an MBA degree from Dartmouth College (USA).

Inés Sánchez de Madariaga is UNESCO Chair on Gender, Professor of Urban Planning at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and Chair of the Advisory Group on Gender Issues to the Executive Director of UN-Habitat. She is a leading international expert on gender in transportation, urban planning and architecture, with extensive experience spanning policy, practice and research, she coined the widely recognised concept of “mobility of care”. A Fulbright grantee, she has been Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, MIT, UCLA, Bauhaus-Weimar, London School of Economics, and Columbia University. She is the author of many publications, including Engendering Cities, Routledge 2020, and Fair Shared Cities, 2013. She is a public speaker with experience in over 55 countries. In 2021, she received the Matilde Ucelay Award granted by the Spanish Government in recognition of her professional trajectory in promoting gender equality in transportation and urban planning.

Piotr Malepszak is a well-known and respected expert in the railway industry. He is a graduate of the Railway Technical Secondary School in Poznań, the Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Communication and Management in Poznań. He is also a scholarship holder at Purdue University in the USA.

In the years 2008-2016, he worked for PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe, where he was, among others, director of the Railway Lines Department and representative of the management board for the revitalization of railway lines. In 2017-2018 he was a member of the management board for technical matters at Koleje Dolnośląskie S.A. In the years 2018-2020, he was vice-president for the railway component at Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK), and then acted as a president of the company. From 2021, he is the plenipotentiary for railways of the Mayor of the city of Gdańsk, an expert of the European Commission and the European Investment Bank in the area of railway infrastructure.

In the Ministry of Infrastructure, he is responsible for railway transport.