THE general assembly of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) has voted Ms Renée Amilcar in as the association’s first female president in its 138-year history.
Amilcar, the general manager of OC Transpo in Ottawa, Canada, replaces outgoing president, Mr Khalid Alhogail, the CEO and managing director of the Saudi Public Transport Company (Saptco), who was elected in 2019.
Amilcar began her two-year term on June 8 following the 2023 UITP Global Public Transport Summit, which was held in Barcelona between June 4 and 7.
Educated at the Polytechnique Montreal and the University of Sherbrooke, Amilcar began her career in public transport at Montreal Transport Company (STM), and after holding a variety of leadership positions over nearly two decades she moved to OC Transpo in Ottawa in 2021. A UITP executive board member since 2019 representing the bus industry, Amilcar has also been the chair of the UITP Bus Assembly.
“I am delighted to have been chosen as the next president of UITP,” Amilcar says. “I will do my very best to represent the association with merit, and to engage with as many of the international membership as possible.”
During her term, UITP will work towards bringing its first annual summit to Hamburg in 2025. Amilcar will also work alongside the association’s staff and members to determine the measures needed to bring more women into public transport at all levels.
“It is always a special moment for UITP and our global membership when a new president is voted into office,” says UITP secretary general, Mr Mohamed Mezghani. “In Renée, our association has a passionate advocate of public transport, who will listen to their viewpoints and help to advance UITP well into the future.”
