IRF | International Road Federation

Lisbon, 25th May, 2010: As the world's foremost road experts and industry leaders began to gather in Lisbon for the 16th IRF World Meeting, the Federation's Geneva Programme Centre proceeded with the election of a new Chairman to guide the organisation into the next decade.

The overwhelming vote went to Mr. K. K. Kapila, the Chairman and Managing Director of ICT Ltd., a New Delhi based firm that has been ranked among the top hundred consultancy companies in the world, and which operates in 30 countries.

Already a member of the IRF Geneva Board of Directors, and Vice-Chairman since 2007, Mr. Kapila's election earned him the distinction of becoming the first non-European to be elected to this key responsibility.

When asked to present his vision for the future of IRF, and what he would like to achieve during his Chairmanship, Mr. Kapila characteristically began by paying tribute to the firm foundations laid by his predecessor and friend, Jean Beauverd, whose quiet diplomacy has steered the organisation through a period of global economic turmoil and seen it emerge strengthened and more united.

Coming from a country that sits astride the mega-developed and developing worlds – and which in many ways symbolises shifting global dynamics – Kiran Kapila represents a particularly apt choice to ensure that IRF's message remains universal, and that its work continues to resonate in harmony with differing needs and aspirations throughout the world.

"Perhaps my election is, indeed, a sign of the increased globalisation of the IRF. Today, the world has become a much smaller place. Many issues affect more than one country. The most obvious that come to mind are the growing environmental challenges we face today.

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Kapila highlighted changing perceptions of the global importance of roads and the need to transcend their past, often unfairly negative, image. Indeed, it is being increasingly recognised that, without roads,and the access they bring to vital trade and services, the UN Millennium Goals simply cannot be attained. In many ways, such considerations directly reflect what the Lisbon World Meeting is all about. Long acknowledged as drivers of economic development – roads now have an increasingly vital role to play as drivers of parallel social and environmental progress in our rapidly changing world,

"Road development is the engine of economic development, and helps to achieve social development in an inclusive manner. It connects various regions and stimulates integrated development. For example, IRF activities promoting safer road development automatically enhance integrated social and economic development."

Given his solid reputation as both a man of his word and a man of action, Mr. Kapila's vision for the future of IRF is unlikely to remain in the realms of rhetoric.

His election to the helm of the Geneva Programme Centre represents the latest in a long line of business honours and responsibilities, including executive office over many years with several leading professional institutions. A fellow of the Indian Institute of Engineers and the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, he is also a member of (inter alia) the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Indian Geotechnical Society, the Association of Airport Planners and Engineers, the Indian Building Congress and the Indian Institution for Urban Transport.

Among numerous distinctions, Mr. Kapila has been nominated a ‘Man of the Year 2001' by the American Biographical Institute and was discerned the prestigious Bentley Award for design excellence in 2005. In 2007, he was honoured with the IRF Award for his outstanding contribution to road safety.

The IRF is in good hands as it gears up – both as an industry and as committed global corporate citizens - to face the many new challenges and priorities for the sector that will be highlighted during what promises to be a landmark World Meeting in Lisbon.