New IRF president takes up new role

IRF chose the International Transport Forum Summit (ITF 2022), hosted in Leipzig, to mark the start of the IRF Presidency of Anouar Benazzouz. Succeeding Bill Halkias who has concluded his three-year mandate at the helm of IRF, Benazzouz was elected unanimously as IRF president by the General Assembly on 29 March 2022 in Amsterdam.
July 13, 2022 Read time: 2 mins

 

“It gives me pride to end my mandate knowing there’s a great team aligned to pick up this work and move it forward” commented Halkias in passing over the presidency.

Anouar Benazzouz is the director general of Moroccan Highways (Autoroutes du Maroc) and the first African president taking the helm of IRF. With engineering studies from top colleges in Paris and London, Benazzouz started his career in engineering and later occupied different management positions in Casablanca, London, Singapore and Egypt. He also served as general manager of Savola Morocco and as chief of cabinet for the minister of Equipment and Transport of Morocco, just before his current position as general manager of Moroccan Highways.

“The openness, care and professionalism with which I have been welcomed in this Federation years ago will be also the guiding principles of my presidency” said Benazzouz. “Our sector is undergoing a revolution which is not only driven by the technology advances but also by the fact that we have reverted the order of priorities (…) People are finally back at the centre of the transportation systems that we all together, design, build and operate” he added.

Partnerships have always been the DNA of IRF, Benazzouz stressed. He has committed to push this further and make the Federation a true forum for collaboration at all levels. “A forum where everyone will feel welcome and where we create new value for our sector and beyond,” he added.

In marking symbolically the passing over of a Moroccan presidency from the International Transport Forum to the International Road Federation, HE Mohammed Abdeljalil, Moroccan minister of Transport & Logistics commented “We are proud of the leadership Morocco is demonstrating at international level when it comes to innovating transport systems. We take these engagements truly at heart and are committed to contribute and to work with others to deliver a sustainable mobility to all.”

During his term (2022-2025) Anouar Benazzouz will be assisted by two IRF vice-presidents: Dimitris Mandalozis, Chief Operations Officer of Aegean Motorway SA and Liu Wenjie, secretary general and vice-president of China Highway and Transportation Society (CHTS).

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