Europe’s Network of National ITS Associations (ITS Nationals) has elected Dónal Hodgins for a two-year period as its Chair.
The former chair of ITS Ireland is a Senior Engineer (Head of Sustainable Transport & Traffic Management) at Kildare County Council. He was elected following a vote by the 30 members of the organisation, which has an objective to ensure that ITS knowledge and information is transmitted to all ITS organisations across the region.
Alongside Mr Hodgins, Marc Verhage of Connekt in the Netherlands has been elected to the position of vice-chair of the network. Both are current members of the coordination committee and took up their roles on 1 July.
Outgoing chair Günther Weber welcomed the news saying: “My warmest congratulations to Dónal and Marc for being unanimously elected as Chair and Vice Chair of ITS Nationals. I am really happy that both got a strong vote – a confirmation of their work to date, Dónal as vice-chair and Marc as member of the coordination committee. Together Dónal and Marc are part of a strong and committed team that will lead ITS Nationals into the next steps of its exciting evolution. Many thanks to both, in particular to Dónal, for the valuable and successful work to date, and all the best for a successful next period. For me, it was always a pleasure and very inspiring to work with Dónal and Marc.”
The new chair Dónal Hodgins paid tribute to Günther for his role in leading the ITS Nationals over the past four years especially throughout the period of the global pandemic. “I would like to acknowledge and thank Günther for his steadfast support for both myself and all the national ITS organisations belonging to the ITS Nationals. He leaves the group in an improved situation ready to face the challenges of the years ahead.”.
Reflecting on the 20th Anniversary of the ITS Nationals, he added that he is “deeply honoured to be elected to this esteemed position and am excited for Marc and myself to add to the honourable tradition of the previous title holders. This is particularly important as we continue to re-energise the Network and place it at the forefront of promoting ITS.”
When asked what his vision for ITS Nationals is, Mr Hodgins committed to: “setting out a pathway for a sustainable ITS Nationals entity that is independent, inclusive, equitable and one that provides a variety of benefits for all national organisations and our thousands of members. I wish to continue to build up our capacity to provide improved cooperation, collaboration, and communication between the national ITS organisations and provide the members of each national organisations with tangible benefits.”
The Network of National ITS Associations will continue to work with ERTICO to support cooperation between the two entities and improve cohesiveness between ITS stakeholders across the continent and globally.
(Picture – ITS Nationals Network)
