Leading the change towards greater diversity in transport
Session
A Summit networking lunch around the theme of “Leading the change towards greater diversity in transport” will be jointly hosted by ITF, TUMI Women Mobilize Women, International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and the World Bank (Partners).
This session aims to highlight the role of leaders - women and men - in transforming the sector and promoting greater diversity in transport. It will be an opportunity for all stakeholders to share current developments and recent and planned initiatives on enhancing gender diversity in transport. The outcomes of this session/ key messages will be published in the 2019 ITF Compendium on Women in Transport and in other relevant channels by the Partners.
The luncheon will gather approximately 100 participants, representing governments, international organisations, business, civil society, media and academia in order to provide a wide range of perspective on the topic and encourage exchange and debate.
The participants will be seated at round tables (8-10 participants per table); each table will be hosted by discussion leaders.
Discussion leaders:
- Muneeza Alam, Transport Economist, The World Bank
- Guangzhe Chen, Senior Director, Transport Global Practice, The World Bank
- Sandra LaFortune, Director General, International Relations and Trade Policy, Transport Canada
- Mohamed Mezghani, Secretary General, International Association of Public Transport (UITP)
- Magdalena Olczak-Rancitelli, Manger, Summit and Institutional Relations, ITF
- Vera Scholz, Director, Division Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure, GIZ
- Cecil Texier, Sustainability & CSR Vice-President of Alstom
- Sheila Watson, Sheila Watson, Deputy Director & Director of Environment and Research, FIA Foundation
- Asa Vagland, Senior Advisor, Transport Markets Division, Ministry of Infrastructure Government Offices of Sweden
Ali Aslan
Ali Aslan is an international television presenter, moderator and journalist. His career has included working for global news networks such as CNN, ABC News, Channel News Asia and Deutsche Welle TV.
Guangzhe Chen
Mr. Chen assumed the role of Senior Director for the Transport Global Practice (GP), within the Infrastructure Vice-Presidency at the World Bank Group, in November 2018. In this position, he leads the formulation and implementation of strategy and programs for sustainable road, urban, rail, logistics, water and air transport, as well as key cross-cutting agendas such as road safety, climate adaptation/mitigation, gender, human capital development, disruptive technologies and financing. He has a leading role in the global Sustainable Mobility for All initiative, that gathers over 50 foremost international development organizations and key sector players to set the framework for sector coordination and development impact. Mr. Chen supports the development and delivery of knowledge and financing programs to country clients, overseeing a total portfolio of roughly $40 billion, in over 180 projects in more than 100 countries. He leads a team of some 250 specialists from over 80 nationalities, based in more than 40 countries.A Chinese national, Mr. Chen holds a graduate degree in Economics from Harvard University, USA, and B.A. in Economics from Zhongshan (Sun Yat-Sen) University, Guangzhou, China.
Cecile Texier
Cécile Texier is the Sustainability & CSR Vice-President of Alstom, a key player in the transport sector, developing and delivering sustainable solutions focused on shared and electrical mobility. Cécile drives the Sustainability, CSR and Climate strategy, 3-year plan and policies, local communities investment programs, sustainability in marketing activities, extra-financial reporting and dialog with stakeholders. In 2018, she was also appointed Global Diversity Champion of the Company.
She initially joined Alstom Group as Environment Health and Safety analyst in 2005 to manage corporate Energy and CO2 programs. She had previous experience as environmental auditor at KPMG, leading assessments of environmental issues in the frame of merger and acquisition projects and verification of extra-financial data, and at the French National Institute for Environment and Risks (INERIS) where she started her career as environmental management consultant in 1997. She is also a Board member of the Alstom Foundation.
Cécile Texier holds a Civil Engineer degree from Ecole des Mines de Saint-Etienne, France.
Mohamed Mezghani
Mohamed Mezghani has been working for more than 25 years in public transport and urban mobility related fields. He has been elected Secretary General of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and will be taking office on 1/01/2018. He has been Deputy Secretary General of UITP the since January 2014. Until then, he has worked at UITP as Senior Manager (1999-2001) and Knowledge Director (2001-2006) chairing the department developing knowledge-related services for UITP members: professional training, research projects, thematic studies, technical advice, conferences, networking activities, information centre, etc. From 2006 till 2013, he has worked as independent consultant and Adviser to UITP on several technical assistance and training projects in Africa and the Middle-East and managed a number of projects involving numerous experts and multidisciplinary teams. Before joining UITP, M. Mezghani has been working as consultant in the French group, BCEOM, (from 1990 to 1999) more particularly in the urban mobility field. He has managed and carried out projects including policy definition, technical assistance and research activities in several countries in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and Arab countries. During his collaboration with the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management, ADEME, (from 1988-1990), M. Mezghani carried out actions aimed at identifying and evaluating transport energy efficiency projects likely to be financed by the Agency in France. He has been graduated in Industrial Engineering (1987) from Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tunis, Tunisia and has a Master in Transport (1988) from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris, France.
Vera Scholz
Vera Scholz is Director Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure within GIZ where she started to work in 1999. She is working in development cooperation since 20 years. Her areas of expertise are climate change, management of natural resources, infrastructure (energy, transport and water), voluntary social and environmental standards, corporate social responsibility and public private partnerships for sustainable development. She has been working in Asia (India) and Africa (Kenya). Vera Scholz has a master in political science with focus on international relations.
Mary Crass
Mary Crass is Head of Institutional Relations and Summit for the Paris-based International Transport Forum, an intergovernmental organisation linked to the OECD. She is responsible for the ITF’s relations with Member countries, international organisations and associations, and the annual International Transport Forum Summit in Leipzig each May https://www.itf-oecd.org/. She has contributed to the organisation’s work on sustainable urban travel, accessible transport and social inclusion, and crime and terrorism issues in transport. She served as sherpa to the ITF Secretary General on the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Urban Transport, and was on the drafting committee for the final report of that group delivered to UN Secretary General in October 2016.
She recently chaired the International Road Transport Association’s (IRU) Future of the Taxi Reflection Group and is currently co-chair of the Transportation Research Board’s Accessible Transportation Committee - subcommittee on Policy and Practice.
Prior to joining the OECD, Ms. Crass worked as a private consultant focusing on transport and environment issues for among others the UN Environment Programme, the European Commission and OECD, as well as private enterprise. She was previously with a U.S.-based environmental consulting firm specialising in environmental technical assistance work in developing countries and emerging economies.
Ms. Crass has a Masters Degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) with specialisations in international economics and energy and environment policy and a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.