Helen Roth ITA Executive Director Starting January 2025

Helen Roth, a Norwegian national, will bring a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record in transport infrastructure and organisation administration to the position and will join the ITA at a pivotal time for the Association and the demands on the global tunnelling and underground infrastructure industry.

Helen Roth will take up her new position as ITA Executive Director on January 1, 2025
Credit/Quelle: ITA/AITES

“Helen’s leadership and experience qualities are precisely what the ITA needs to navigate the evolving growth and administration of our Association,” said ITA President, Arnold Dix. “Her ability to drive innovation, foster collaboration, and achieve results makes her the ideal steward for our activities and ambitions. We are thrilled to welcome her and excited to chart the way forward with her.”

Fluent in English and German and with a knowledge of French and other languages, Roth will oversee the smooth and efficient operation of the Association’s Executive Council and the services of its central Secretariat to ensure the interconnectivity of the ITA federation of 80 Member Nations, its Committees, Working Groups, and members, and its association with the United Nations and other global partners and collaborators.

Eight Successful Years as CEO of a Norwegian Transportation Infrastructure Network

“I am eager to embark on this new journey for me and the ITA,” said Roth on accepting the position. “The tunnelling industry is at the forefront of solving some of the world’s most pressing infrastructure challenges, and I am honoured to lead an organisation that plays such an influential role in shaping a sustainable future.”

Roth's move to the ITA comes after eight successful years as CEO of VIA, a national Norwegian transport infrastructure network created to facilitate collaboration, entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the value chain for safe, smart and sustainable road solutions, including over bridges and through tunnels – areas where Norway has tremendous experience and expertise. Under her leadership, VIA has become a key player in shaping Norway's future transport infrastructure.

Helen Roth joins the ITA at a time of exponential growth in global urbanization and critical demand on infrastructure to meet huge challenges including the consequences of rapid climate change, the rise of humanity on the move as refugees, and the aspirations to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Founded in 1974, the work of the ITA today is to support these efforts from an underground solutions perspective and to bring together industry leaders, engineers, contractors, and public agencies to address the particular challenges and advantages of the underground environment, providing expertise and knowledge-sharing platforms to benefit communities worldwide.