Internationally renowned academic José Viegas of Portugal is the new Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum.
“I am delighted to come to this job at this moment. There are new and significant challenges for all transport modes across the world,” said Viegas. “The knowledge production at the Forum and the policy discussions among Ministers are very much relevant to address these challenges.”
Viegas, who was elected by Ministers from Forum member countries at their summit in May, joins the International Transport Forum from an internationally recognised career as an academic and consultant.
“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.”
As a professor of civil engineering at the University of Lisbon (Portugal) and chairman of transport consultancy firm TIS.pt, Viegas has worked in all transport modes and managed collaborative networks across countries and economic sectors to advance better solutions in transport.
The International Transport Forum at the OECD 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 Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in Paris.