ITA Marks Major Transitions at 51st General Assembly during WTC 2025 in Stockholm
The International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) experienced a landmark transition year during its 51st General Assembly, held alongside the World Tunnel Congress (WTC) 2025 in Stockholm. With a quorum of Member Nations present, several key leadership appointments and organizational developments were ratified.
Leadership Appointments
Andrea Pigorini of Italy has been elected ITA President for the 2025–2028 term, succeeding Arnold Dix, who now serves as Immediate Past President on the Executive Council for the next three years.
Three new Vice Presidents have joined the Executive Council: Klaus Rieker of Germany (First Vice President), Sanja Zlatanic of the USA, and Damian McGirr of the UK.
Five new members were also elected to the Executive Council: Elena Chiriotti (France), Nobuharu Isago (Japan), Zhigou Zhang (China), Hamdi Aydin (Turkey), and Johan Mignon (Belgium). Helen Roth took charge as ITA Executive Director, marking her first General Assembly in the role.
New Member Nation and Recognition
Papua New Guinea was officially welcomed as the 81st Member Nation of ITA.
Former ITA President (2019–2022) Jinxiu Jenny Yan was appointed Adviser to the ITA and Executive Council. Five tunnelling professionals were honoured as ITA Fellows for their outstanding contributions to the industry: Ray Stirling (USA), Rakesh Kumar Khali (India), Giuseppe Lunardi (Italy), Kari Korpela (Finland), and Randall Essex (USA).
Future WTC Venues
Singapore narrowly won the bid to host WTC 2028 by a margin of two votes. Upcoming congresses include Montréal, Canada in 2026, and Antwerp, Belgium in 2027.
