Skip to main content

IRF chairman receives International Medal of Honour

Saudi Arabia deputy minister of transport and International Road Federation (IRF) chairman, His Excellency Abdullah Al-Mogbel, was presented with the coveted International Medal of Honour by the chairman of the Spanish Road Association at a recent ceremony in Madrid. The Medal pays tribute and gives public recognition to individuals whose careers have been closely related to the development of safe and efficient road infrastructure worldwide. Since its creation nearly fifty years ago, the Medal has been pre
June 8, 2012 Read time: 3 mins
RSSSaudi Arabia deputy minister of transport and 713 International Road Federation (IRF) chairman, His Excellency Abdullah Al-Mogbel, was presented with the coveted International Medal of Honour by the chairman of the 2392 Spanish Road Association at a recent ceremony in Madrid.

The Medal pays tribute and gives public recognition to individuals whose careers have been closely related to the development of safe and efficient road infrastructure worldwide. Since its creation nearly fifty years ago, the Medal has been presented to eminent political, academic and industry actors. Each Medal bears the statement: “Better roads for a better world," the IRF's motto since 1948.

"Few are more deserving of this award than IRF chairman and deputy minister of transport for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia," said Patrick Sankey, president & chief executive of the IRF. "His Excellency is a highway engineer by training, who began his career in 1978 in the then Saudi Ministry of Communications working on, and later leading, some of the country's largest infrastructure projects, such as the Riyadh ring road," added Sankey.

In 1997, Al-Mogbel was appointed deputy minister of transport with a mandate to improve the efficiency of the country's road system. In 2007, he received the Man of the Year award, IRF's highest and most prestigious award, for his leadership in the development of Saudi Arabia's national road network.

Elected IRF chairman in 2011, Al-Mogbel has led IRF's worldwide advocacy initiative to develop safer road networks while continuing to empower the next generation of road engineers through unmatched contributions to the International Road Educational Foundation (IREF).

The Medal is said to recognise Al-Mogbel's outstanding vision and embodies the values of road industry professionals throughout the 90 countries where IRF has member representation.

Founded in 1948 in Washington DC, the IRF is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation with members from both the public and private sectors in 90 countries worldwide. It promotes the development and maintenance of better, safer roads and road networks throughout the world.

The Spanish Road Association (AEC) is a not-for-profit organisation whose goal is the promotion of a safe and high quality road network at the service of Spain's socio-economic objectives. With over 300 members from the public and private sector, AEC is one of the largest and most influential national road associations.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Road professionals of exception - IRF names top individual award
    November 13, 2017
    Dr Kyung-Soo Yoo, an IRF Fellow (Class of 1979) and one of the chief architects behind Korea's world-class road connectivity programs has been nominated to receive IRF's most distinguished individual honour
  • Key IRF event for Middle East
    March 2, 2012
    The International Road Federation's event in the Gulf & Middle East Region in the capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain comes amid calls for efforts to meet the challenges posed by the region's growing demand for mobility and movement of goods.
  • IRF chairman appointed minister of transport for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
    February 27, 2015
    Engineer Abdullah Al-Mogbel, chairman of the International Road Federation, was appointed minister of transport, Saudi Arabia with immediate effect by royal order of His Majesty Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, King of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. Chairman Al-Mogbel’s appointment crowns an exceptional career, which began in 1978 as a project manager at the Ministry of Communications (later renamed the Ministry of Transport) at the onset of Saudi Arabia’s drive to connect its major cities throu
  • IRF chairman and mayor of Riyadh discussed the forthcoming IRF conference with World Highway
    April 12, 2013
    Every four years, for the last 60 years, the International Road Federation (IRF) has brought transportation officials and experts from around the world together in one place for the IRF World Meeting & Exhibition. This is the premiere global event for transportation professionals. The 17th IRF World Meeting & Exhibition is set to happen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 9–13, 2013, and features a compelling executive and interactive session programme and a peer-reviewed technical and scientific session prog