The members of the Executive Board of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) have selected Alain Flausch as new Secretary General. He will take over from Hans Rat, who will retire after running the Association for 13 years. This appointment will be effective by the end of the year. Mr Ousmane Thiam, most senior Vice-President, will follow Alain Flausch as President, effective mid-October 2011.
As the CEO of the Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles (STIB), the public transport company in Brussels, for the last 11 years, and President of UITP since 2009, Alain Flausch has long-standing experience in the public transport sector and in UITP.
Since April 2000, Mr Flausch has led the STIB through an in-depth cultural change, conducting a complete renewal both of the commercial approach and the corporate management, setting a new company culture where clients are at the very heart of the service provision.
Alain Flausch’s election acknowledges his strong commitment to UITP. Among other roles, he has been a member of the UITP Policy Board since 2004 and has been President of the Association since 2009. He has been a member of the UITP Business and Human Resources Management Commission and the Metropolitan Railway Committee and chaired the UITP European Assembly.
In accordance with the UITP by-laws, Ousmane Thiam, most senior Vice-President, will take over Alain Flausch’s mandate as President. Mr Thiam is President of the Conseil Exécutif des Transports urbains de Dakar (CETUD), Senegal, and President of the African Association of Public Transport (UATP), acting as the African Division of UITP. His mandate will be confirmed at the next UITP Executive Board meeting, to be held in mid-October 2011 in Milan.
Current UITP Secretary General Hans Rat is retiring after 13 years at the helm of the Association. During his time, UITP grew and diversified its membership to embrace the full public transport supply chain. Today, UITP has an impressive worldwide presence thanks to the establishment of 11 regional/country offices.
UIC expresses its sincere congratulations to Hans Rat for successfully developing UITP’s scope of activity and worldwide recognition over the past 13 years, and for steering the work of the public transport association. UIC expresses its warmest thanks for the fruitful and friendly cooperation that has been developed between UITP and UIC during these years on an increasing number of topics.
UIC warmly congratulates Alain Flausch on his appointment as the new Secretary General of UITP at the end of this year and looks forward to further developing excellent cooperation links between the two worldwide associations on a number of issues of common interest.
UIC also congratulations Ousmane Thiam on his appointment as the new President of UITP, succeeding Alain Flausch, and wishes him all the best in his new responsibilities, in particular lobbying in favour of public transport worldwide.
