FIDIC Board
Members of the board, who are elected by member associations at the annual FIDIC general assembly meeting, have a number of key responsibilities which include the following:
- Carry out the resolutions of the general assembly;
- Preparing an annual report, formulating and modifying by-laws and endorsing audited annual accounts for ratification by the general assembly;
- Appointing members of FIDIC standing committees and task forces, approving their terms of reference and monitoring their activities.
The board also conducts strategic planning for FIDIC including the continuous assessment of developments affecting the consulting industry, the planning of actions to reposition FIDIC when required and the reviewing and updating of the current strategic plan. The board also periodically reviews and updates, or prepares, new policies where required. Members of the board represent FIDIC and play an important role in maintaining and enhancing the organisation’s image on the global stage. The board also liaises with appropriate levels and officials of international organisations relevant to FIDIC’s interests and conducts regular visits to member associations.
The FIDIC board meets at least three times per year, once coinciding with the FIDIC Global Infrastructure Conference.
Catherine Karakatsanis (President)
Canada
Catherine Karakatsanis, M.E.Sc., P.Eng., ICD.D, FEC, FCAE, LL.D, D.Eng. is a structural engineer and the Chief Operating Officer of Morrison Hershfield now Stantec, a global multi-disciplinary consulting engineering firm with 35,000 professionals around the world. Catherine has also had numerous professional public volunteer leadership roles including being elected the chair of the regulatory and advocacy professional engineering organizations in Canada; board member of Engineers Without Borders; Foundation for Education; Hydro One; Western University. Catherine has consistently been recognized for her contributions to her firm, the profession and her community. She was awarded Canada’s highest engineering distinction for an individual’s achievement in their chosen field – the Gold Medal from Engineers Canada; inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering(CAE) as a Fellow; awarded Professional Engineers Ontario’s highest engineering distinctions – the Gold Medal and the rank of Companion; inducted into Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame; awarded The Governor General of Canada Sovereign’s Medal; awarded the Consulting Engineering Magazine’s Life Time Achievement Award; received an Honorary Doctorate from Western University; and one from the Toronto Metropolitan University, to name a few. Catherine became FIDIC’s president at the September 2023 GAM.
Alfredo Ingletti (president-elect)
Italy
Alfredo Ingletti is co-founder, Chairman and Technical Director of 3TI PROGETTI since 1997. A civil engineer with over 30 years of experience in architectural/infrastructural design and project management, in those years he has shaped and built his firm as an independent fully employee owned engineering company and has also been instrumental in encouraging the company to work internationally. He is visible in the industry and leads the company from the front, looking after his employees, and has been awarded “CEO of the year Medium Firm” by ACE (the leading Association for Consultancy and Engineering) at the European CEO Awards 2017. From 2013 to 2017 Alfredo also served as Vice President Deputy for the International Business Development of OICE, and by today is a member of the Board of the association. Alfredo personally devotes his time to the promotion and organization of training activities, as guest or speaker at meetings involving the main professional Institution of Engineers and Architects etc.
James Mwangi (vice president)
Kenya
James Mwangi from Kenya is the CEO at Nairobi-headquartered consultancy firm, Kurrent Technologies Ltd. James is a mechanical engineer with 38 years’ experience in the oil, gas, power generation and renewable energy sectors. James is also a former chairman of FIDIC-Africa. He is also a Board Member at the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) the Apex voice of the Private Sector in Kenya, a Director at the Petroleum Institute of East Africa, a Member of the Energy Institute (U.K.) and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya. His firm, Kurrent Technologies Ltd, is currently undertaking large energy projects, ranging from large petroleum facilities including LPG facilities, petroleum pipelines, exploration and production of oil, hydrogen plants, power generation plants including LNG, wind and solar plants, electrical transmission lines and feasibility studies etc. James has dedicated a lot of time and effort in advocacy in the Engineering Profession, Energy and Oil & Gas sectors, business, Integrity, and infrastructure matters. James was elected at the 2020 FIDIC GAM. He was elected Vice president at the 2023 FIDIC GAM for a period of two years.
Chantal Dagnaud
France
Chantal Dagnaud is the president and co-founder of Institutions and Strategies / D.A. Partners and has 20 years of local and international experience in engineering consulting, particularly in the procurement and funding of projects, project management, feasibility studies, executive leadership, industrial development, compliance into business intelligence, training, legal and regulatory management.
Chantal is also a mediator judge at the International Court of Mediation and Arbitration and has represented the global industry at many international seminars and conferences. Chantal also holds membership of the following boards, ECCO (European Association of International Industrial Cooperation), Plamfe - Plateforme Mondiale des Femmes Entreprenantes (France), CCEF - French Foreign Trade Advisor.
Chantal is also a member of FIDIC's Diversity and Inclusion Council and was also awarded FIDIC’s Future Leaders Management Certificate in 2020.
Martina Hess
Zambia
Martina Hess is director of CES Consulting Engineers Salzgitter GmbH, Zambia and has 25+ years of experience in project management/team leading during design and construction supervision of IFI water/sanitation infrastructure projects in Africa (18+ years) and Asia (seven-plus years). Martina is a civil engineer who holds an MSc from the TU Darmstadt, Germany. She has longstanding experience in procurement and implementation of works, supplies and services for water supply and sanitation projects and programmes under FIDIC conditions of contract, including preparing tender dossiers and evaluating bids. Martina also has broad experience as a FIDIC contract/claim management expert, including in dispute avoidance, preparation of expert opinions, using FIDIC guidelines in arbitration avoidance, contractual EoT entitlement, financial analysis and contractual entitlement of additional payment.
Manish Kothari
United States America
Manish Kothari is President and CEO of Sheladia Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm headquartered in USA. Mr. Kothari has 30+ years of varied engineering experience on infrastructure projects in the USA and internationally. Prior to Sheladia, he worked with Bechtel Corporation, USA and with D2 Consult GmbH, Austria. Mr. Kothari has a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering and M.Sc. in Civil Engineering from University of Michigan. Manish is actively engaged globally: Inaugural Chair FIDIC’s International Financial Institutions Committee (IFIC); member FIDIC–RLQC Committee, The National Academy of Construction (NAC) – 2020, Member- ITAC-10 with U.S. Department of Commerce and USTR. Commissioner for State of Maryland. Board Director-PICMC at Montgomery College. At American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) he has held numerous positions: Chair-Emeritus (2019–2020); National Chair 2018-2019; Vice Chair (2013-2015); and Chair International Committee (2009-2013). He is a recipient of many awards including WTCI’s Business Leadership Award -2015.
José Joaquín Ortiz García
Colombia
José Ortiz is a Civil Engineer and PhD. He joined Atkins Consultants as part of a team providing expert advice on strategic long term maintenance planning of highway maintenance, both in the UK and Europe. In Colombia, since 2007, he joined the civil engineering consulting company founded by his father and succeeded him as CEO in 2008. During his service the company experienced significant growth, generating positive impacts around the country. He is a Board Member at the Colombian Chamber of Infrastructure (CCI). He is currently Chairman of the Board at Joyco. José Joaquín Ortiz shall hold office for a term of one year starting April 2023 as co-opted board member, as authorised by the GAM and appointed by the Board. The duties of co-opted member of the Board shall be the same as the duties of Board members as set out in Article 12 and elsewhere in the FIDIC Statutes.
Adam Bialachowski
Poland
Adam Bialachowski is CEO of B-Act S.A., an engineering consultancy group that focuses its work in central and eastern Europe, with main offices in Bydgoszcz, Warsaw and Kiev. Adam is an expert in business management, project and contract management, construction contract cash flow optimisation, procurement, claims strategy and client relationship management. He has over 15 years of experience in advising on and implementing construction investments and successfully conducted multiple commercial negotiations with international investors, construction companies and engineering corporations.
Prashant Kapila
India
Prashant Kapila is a distinguished professional with over 25 years of experience in the field of Civil & Environmental Engineering. He is the Managing Director of Intercontinental Consultants & Technocrats Pvt. Ltd. (ICT), India, an international consultancy firm operating in 50 countries across Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Pacific Islands. Prashant did his M.SC. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, USA, in 2000, and since then, he has steering the company to greater heights and responsible for client management and project delivery across a range of infrastructure sectors including highways, expressways, bridges, tunnels, railways, metros, airports and urban development. Prashant’s dedication and contribution to the fraternity was recognized when he was awarded the FIDIC Young Professional Award in 2017. In 2023, Prashant has been elected as a Member of the FIDIC Board, further solidifying his influence on the global engineering landscape. Prashant is deeply passionate about contributing to the growth of the Consulting Engineering Industry, particularly in Developing Economies where infrastructure needs are pressing, and is also a fervent advocate of sustainable development.
Cosmin Tobolcea
Romania
Cosmin Tobolcea holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Iasi and brings nearly 20 years of expertise in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is currently the General Manager at PROTOBY and Managing Partner at Euro Finance Advisors, a leading engineering consulting group in Eastern Europe specialising in water and wastewater projects across Eastern and Central Europe. The group, comprising over 250 employees, has successfully managed European Funds contracts in Romania with a total value exceeding 1.5 billion euros in the last years. In the last 12 years, Cosmin has been actively involved in FIDIC, serving as Chair of the FIDIC Certified Consulting Engineer Programme and previously as Chair of the FIDIC Future Leaders Council. He has also contributed to key FIDIC committees, such as the Diversity Task Force and the Sustainable Development Committee. A frequent speaker at FIDIC’s international and regional conferences, Cosmin has co-authored FIDIC State of the World Reports on Global Water Issues. His contributions to the industry were recognised with the FIDIC Future Leaders Award in 2021.
