José Viegas starts work as ITF secretary-general

Internationally renowned academic José Viegas of Portugal has begun work as the new chief executive of International Transport Forum (ITF), the global transport policy body. The ITF is an intergovernmental organisation with 54 member countries that acts as a strategic think tank for global transport policy and organises an annual summit of transport ministers.
August 20, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Internationally renowned academic José Viegas of Portugal has begun work as the new chief executive of 1102 International Transport Forum (ITF), the global transport policy body.

The ITF is an intergovernmental organisation with 54 member countries that acts as a strategic think tank for global transport policy and organises an annual summit of transport ministers. The Forum is housed by the 3685 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

Viegas, who was elected by ministers of Forum member countries at their summit in May 2012, joins the ITF from a globally recognised career as an academic and consultant. Previously a professor of civil engineering at the University of Lisbon (Portugal) and chairman of 6408 TIS.pt, a transport consultancy firm, Viegas has worked in all transport modes and managed collaborative networks across countries and economic sectors to advance better solutions in transport.

After starting his new role, Viegas said: “There are new and significant challenges for all transport modes across the world.

“The knowledge production at the Forum and the policy discussions among Ministers are very much relevant to address these challenges.

“The International Transport Forum faces great opportunities for a strategic reorientation, based on its existing strengths and its expanding membership, to further strengthen its role as the foremost platform for a global dialogue on transport policy.

“I will work hard to provide engaging and successful leadership in these processes."

Related Content

  • Final shortlist revealed for ITF 2014 Summit Young Researcher of the Year Award
    April 11, 2014
    One of four young talented transport researchers will be presented with the 2014 Young Researcher of the Year Award in the presence of transport ministers from around the world at the International Transport Forum at the OECD’s 2014 Summit in Leipzig, Germany, on 21 May 2014. The jury’s final shortlist for the prestigious award includes Spain’s Francesc Soriguera who is nominated for examining whether real time information on travel time is helpful for drivers. His results show that this information is on
    Read More
  • IRF’s Marrakech regional event focuses on North Africa
    April 12, 2013
    A series of dynamic meetings in Marrakech signal the forward direction of IRF Geneva as it gears up for a bright new era as a global voice of the road sector. As these pages go to press, IRF Geneva is just emerging from a very rewarding regional conference focusing on North Africa and the Mediterranean that took place from 19-20 March, 2013. The success of this high-level gathering, organised in association with the Moroccan Road Association and Moroccan Motorways (Autoroutes du Maroc), reflects IRF Geneva’
    Read More
  • Re-inventing Africa’s Transport Model - The 2nd IRF Africa Regional Congress
    September 13, 2017
    Lack of effective coordination among Africa’s transportation stakeholders is inhibiting the impacts of existing programs, but technology and innovation are increasingly understood as essential drivers to propel Africa forward in meeting its development goals. These were some of the main findings of the 2nd IRF Africa Regional Congress which was held July 11th-13th in Windhoek, Namibia.
    Read More
  • US researcher develops congestion busting tool
    May 19, 2014
    Dr Shanjiang Zhu, assistant professor of engineering at George Mason University in Virginia, USA, is the recipient of the International Transport Forum’s 2014 Young Researcher of the Year Award. Dr Zhu was selected by an international jury of experts for his work on choosing the best strategies against traffic congestion. He is being presented with the distinction on 21st May in Leipzig, Germany during the opening plenary of the Annual Summit of transport ministers organised by the International Transport F
    Read More

Highlighted Content