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 Aziz AksuAfter graduating from Middle East Technical University, Department of International Relations in 2006, Mr. Aksu started to work as an Assistant Maritime Expert at the Undersecretariat of Maritime Affairs of the Prime Ministry at the time. Since November 2011, he has been taking office at the General Directorate for European Union and Foreign Relations under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. In 2015, he completed his Master’s degree in European Studies at the London School of Economics. Since September 2017, he has been studying on his PhD thesis on China’s Belt and Road Initiative under the PhD Program in Regional Studies at Middle East Technical University. Since February 2022, he has been serving as the Deputy Director General for European Union and Foreign Affairs. |
 Çetin ALTUN• Specialisation Commissions for Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Development Plan • Acting as a representative of TCDD Taşımacılık A.Ş. in the International Association of Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) Working Group since 2018 and representing Türkiye at the Working Group Meetings held regularly. • Works for Logistics Master Plan of Türkiye • Active participation in the activities carried out in Türkiye and within the scope of TITR to increase railway freight transport on the BTK Line • Ensuring that tents dispatched from China in 200 containers after the earthquakes on February 6, 2023, are transported to Türkiye via the en-route countries. • Coordination and on-site supervision of railway freight transport operations in Iran and beyond (including relief trains for Afghanistan and Pakistan) • National, international and transit railway freight transportation in the transport sector • Works under International (COTIF) / National Railway Legislation • Execution of Railway Freight Transport Services in IT Environment • Works under Trade Agreements and Customs Legislation • Railway-customs integration in line with Common and National Transit Procedure • Legislative amendments and arrangements for CIM and CIM/SMGS Consignment Note • Ensuring that railway transportation in TCDD Taşımacılık A.Ş. is performed in accordance with the EU Legislation • Procedures in international railway transportation irregularities (missing goods, accidents, etc.) • For the first time, a Deputy Director General was honoured with a medal by the Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan Railway Administrations for his outstanding efforts and devoted work to increase railway freight transport on the BTK Line. |
 Oktay AYDINOĞLU• Acting as a team leader of the freight operations within Business Management Information System (BMIS) and Management Information System (MIS). • Participating actively in the studies on the use of Simplified Procedure in railway transportation in Türkiye following Türkiye’s becoming a contracting party to the EU Common Transit Agreement in 2012. • Preparing legislative environment required to carry out operations on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) Railway Line. • Conducting the studies on operational and legislative integration of international railway transportation between the COTIF and the OSJD regions. • Serving as the Chair of the UIC RAME Freight Group (With the proposal and support of the Freight Director of the International Union of Railways (UIC), Mr. Aydınoğlu was unanimously elected as the Chair of UIC RAME Freight Group during the meeting of UIC Middle East Regional Assembly (RAME) held in Istanbul on June 1, 2023.) |
 Jan Bach
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 Matthew Bryza Ambassador Matthew Bryza is managing director of the Istanbul office of Ballard Partners, a major US and governmental and public affairs firm that helps companies navigate political and legislative issues. He serves on the Boards of energy, mining, and telecommunications companies operating from the greater Caspian region to Texas. Bryza is also a Board Member of the Jamestown Foundation, a think tank headquartered in Washington, DC. In 2012, Bryza completed a 23-year career as a U.S. diplomat, culminating as Ambassador to Azerbaijan. Earlier, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State (2005-2009) and Director on the National Security Council Staff at the White House (20012005) for U.S. relations with Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus. During 1998 to 2001, Ambassador Bryza was the Deputy Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State on Caspian Basin Energy Security. Bryza served in the U.S. Missions to Russia (1995-1997) and Poland (1989-1991). He is a frequent commentator in media outlets including CNN International, Al Jazeera, The BBC, Fox News, The Financial Times, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Chicago Tribune, as well as numerous outlets in Turkey and the South Caucasus. Bryza is the recipient of Estonia’s Cross of Terra Mariana (Fourth Class) and Georgia’s Order of St. George. He received his bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University and his master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. |
 GAO ChunmingGAO Chunming is the General Manager of Product & Integration Department of Sinotrans Limited. Mr. Gao joined China National Foreign Trade Transportation (Group) Corporation in 1995 and worked in Sinotrans Tianjin Group Air Freight Forwarding Company. Since September 2002, Mr. Gao has successively served as General Manager Assistant of Sinoair Tianjin Branch, Deputy General Manager of Sinoair East China, and Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Sinoair East China. Since September 2002, Mr. Gao has successively served as General Manager of Global Forwarding Department of Sinoair, Deputy General Manager and General Manager of Sinotrans Integrated Logistics Co., Ltd. In November 2016, Mr. Gao served as General Manager Assistant of Sinoair. In May 2019, Mr. Gao was appointed as the Deputy General Manager and member of the CPC of Sinotrans Global E-commerce Logistics co., Ltd (Sinoair, formerly known as “Sinotrans Development” 600270.SH). From January 2022, Mr. Gao was appointed as the General Manager of Product & Integration Department of Sinotrans Limited. |
 François Davenne Mr Davenne graduated from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications d’Evry in 1988 and from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in 1999. Throughout his career, he has consistently promoted interdisciplinarity as a key factor for success. Having gained experience in international satellite telecommunications, he initially held various roles in the housing sector, making use of his strong financial and legal skills. He was involved in policy and regulation of the sector and managed key operational programmes, most notably for the city of Paris. After three years with the French Ministry of Transport, working on railway safety and regulation, with an emphasis on European regulations, he was elected in 2012 as Secretary General of OTIF, the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail. From early 2013 to the end of 2018, he promoted interdisciplinarity and partnership building in order to expand and develop the uniform regulations for international carriage by rail. |
 Turgut ErkeskinTurgut Erkeskin is a FIATA President since October 2023. Previously, he has been serving as a FIATA Senior Vice President from 2017 to 2023. He studied Economics at Istanbul University and has run his freight forwarding business Genel Transport since 1988. From 2010 to 2016, he was President of the Turkish Forwarding Association UTIKAD, and during his presidency of UTIKAD, the 2014 FIATA World Congress was successfully hosted in Istanbul. He also chairs the Logistics Business Council of the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey. |
 Abdikerimov Gaidar - TITRGeneral Secretary of the International Association “Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (hereinafter - TITRTITR ", PhD; Author of more than 15 scientific papers, co-author of a textbook for Specialists "Logistics Management of Freight Transportation and Terminal and Warehouse Activities". Developer of draft agreements (contracts) on the issues of transportation of passengers, cargo and baggage in international traffic, development of international transport links and scientific and technical cooperation with railway transport authorities of foreign countries, foreign legal entities. Managed the Representative Offices of JSC "NC "KTZ" in the European countries of the CIS, the countries of the Caucasus and the Baltic countries. |
 Dr Stéphane Graber PhD in Business Administration, HEC – University of Geneva, Switzerland Dr Stéphane Graber has been Director General at FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations since 2020. FIATA is the largest non-governmental organisation in the field of logistics, which represents 40,000 freight forwarding and logistics firms and employs around 10 million people around the globe. Prior to joining FIATA, Dr Graber was Secretary General at STSA (Swiss Commodity Trading and Shipping Association) and Chaired the eGTSA, a company that successfully developed a digital platform used by commodity trading companies and commodity trade-financing banks, which was sold to Komgo in 2019. Dr Graber has previously worked at the Economic Department of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, and was President of the Geneva Chapter of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce. |
 Alberto GrisoneAlberto Grisone is a professional with a strong background in transportation and intermodal logistics. With a degree in Law from the University of Milan, he embarked on a successful career that has seen him take on various key roles. Throughout his career, Alberto Grisone has been a driving force behind network development and the expansion of intermodal connections, exploring new markets and opportunities. He has held prominent positions in various companies, including director roles in East Europe, Middle East, and Russia. In recent years, since 2022, Alberto Grisone has been actively contributing his expertise as the Director for Strategic Projects and Development at Hupac Intermodal Ltd. Moreover, he actively participates in various transportation trends and developments discussions with the UNECE, representing the UN Nations in Geneva. Alberto Grisone’s extensive experience and leadership have left a lasting impact on the transportation and intermodal logistics industry. |
 Marc GuigonMarc Guigon is Passenger Director at UIC (International Union of Railways). He joined UIC in June 2012 and is responsible for Passengers activities, including development of High-Speed Rail in the world, Railway Stations, Ticket Distribution, Regional and Commuter Train Services and Tourism in Trains. He is also coordinator of UIC Middle East and Latin-American Regions, involved in the development of railways in these countries, coordinating studies and projects. He is also supporting the coordinator of Asia-Pacific Region. Prior to joining UIC, Marc worked 7 years for the office of the French Prime Minister, responsible for French national policies of transport in the field of spatial planning including railways, roads, urban transport, airports, ports and waterways. He was also the central point of coordination between the French Central Government and one French Province for all topics concerning spatial planning and development. He was also responsible of intergovernmental cooperation between France and China on spatial planning. Lastly, Marc has a solid background in Railway Activities having managed French rolling stock workshops, research teams, and freight departments at the French Railways (SNCF). |
 Mr. Roel JanssensIs the secretary to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Working Party on Transport Trends and Economics (WP.5). At the UNECE Sustainable Transport Division he oversees the development and implementation of the work stream on Euro-Asian transport links operationalization. In this capacity he manages the recently established International Transport Infrastructure Observatory (ITIO) which offers a Geographic Information System (GIS) based platform operating as a virtual marketplace for attracting financing of national, regional and inter-regional transport infrastructure projects. Ahead of joining UNECE in 2018, Roel has worked for over 11 years as the principle Economic Adviser at the secretariat of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna. |
 Yaroslav Kholodov Yaroslav Kholodov works as a Policy Analyst and Transport Modeller at the International Transport Forum (ITF) OECD. He also leads ITF’s work in the Central Asia region. Mr Kholodov holds two Master’s degrees in Transport Planning and Railway Engineering. With more than six years of experience in the transport sector, he has advised state enterprises, local and national governments on regional development, transport and land-use planning, sustainable transport systems and infrastructure design. Mr Kholodov is an expert in multimodal transport networks, innovation and data-driven policymaking. |
 Aleksandr KUZMENKO - OTIFMr Kuzmenko has been the head of the legal department of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) since 2016. He is a graduate of Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, with a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws. Before joining OTIF he had a number of different roles and occupied various posts within AB “Lietuvos geležinkeliai”(Lithuanian Railways). |
 Andew Losos – World BankA Senior Sustainable Transport Specialist currently based in Ankara, Türkiye, in the past fifteen years Andrew has been leading World Bank investment and analytical operations on climate change, transport, and sustainable development in Africa, Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Andrew’s maritime career began over twenty-five years ago as a naval officer. Before joining the Bank, he was the Manager of Environmental Policy for the Canadian Shipowners Association, a Senior Climate Policy Analyst in the Canadian federal department of transport, and an oil spill contingency planner for the Canadian Coast Guard in the Arctic. Andrew holds a Master of Environmental Studies from York University and a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto. |
 Afsaneh Nersi Afsaneh Nersi, Managing Director and shareholder of Etehad Iran INTL Transport Co, With 19 years’ experience in this field. |
 Murat SeitnepesovChairman of the Board, Caspian Container Company SA Murat Seitnepesov founded Integral Group of Companies across Switzerland, GB, UAE, and Greater Caspian Region countries in 2008. Along with Integral Petroleum SA (one of the largest exporters of Crude oil and Petroleum products from the Caspian Region) and Integral Shipping and Trading SA (a trading company specializing in non-oil commodities), the Group encompasses Caspian Container Company SA as its logistics arm. As a multifaceted executive grounded in the principle of ‘doing the right things’ and an expert on the Greater Caspian Region (GCR), Murat is a frequent speaker at the World Economic Forum and Horasis conferences. Since 2017, Murat has served as Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Caspian Week Forum https://caspianweek.org. |
 Ekin TirmanAfter graduating in business administration from Koc University in Istanbul in 2005, Ekin Tirman began his logistics career at the family company Aktifsped. After gaining experience in various departments, he started the JV organization with the HOYER Group at Aktifsped in 2013 and has since worked as Country Manager / Turkey of the German service provider in global bulk and liquid logistics. Between 2014 and 2021 he was a board member at UTIKAD and, among other duties, took on the roles of chair of the Road Working Group, and Rail&Intermodal Working Group. |
 Ayşem UlusoyAyşem Ulusoy, born in Istanbul in 1972, was elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the General Assembly Meeting of UTIKAD held in September 2021. After graduating from Bilkent University, Faculty of Humanities and Letters, Department of English Language and Literature in 1995, he started his career in the Combined Transport department of a logistics company. He has been working as the General Manager of their family company ATC Grup International Transportation and Trade Limited Company since 2002. |
 Zahi KhalilZahi Khalil is an Engineer with 23 years of professional experience. He has BSc and MSc degrees in mechanical engineering and DBA doctorate degree in business administration with focused research on railway projects in Middle east and Arabia Gulf region. Zahi has 15 years of experience in the railway sector (construction, operation and management) including 12 years in the high-speed railway industry. He is currently the Director General and Deputy Chairman of the Hejaz Railway Corporation of Jordan. |
 Alona ZhdanovaAlona Zhdanova is a Board Director of DB Cargo Transasia since its establishment in 2021 in Shanghai, which is wholly owned subsidiary of DB Cargo Eurasia. Holding a Master’s degree in Sinology from Georg August University in Germany, she brings ten years of logistics expertise. Alona Zhdanova actively contributes to fortifying China-Europe relations, focusing on enhancing railway links between the two continents. Her strategic focus is on creating new connections aligns with market demands, making a substantial contribution to the advancement of the Silk Road. Speaking good Chinese and enriched by years living in China, Alona Zhdanova embodies a deep understanding of Chinese culture. |