VDV head Oliver Wolff takes Vice President role at UITP

Oliver Wolff, Chief Executive of the association of German transport companies VDV has been elected Vice President of UITP, the global organization of public transport. His mandate on the UITP Executive Board will run for two years.

Oliver Wolff elected as UITP Vice President

UITP represents more than 1,900 organisations in over 100 countries, bringing together the global public transport sector. The Executive Board is one of the association’s key decision-making bodies, responsible for strategic orientation and governance. Oliver Wolff joins a leadership team headed by UITP President Renée Amilcar and Deputy Gautier Brodeo, alongside representatives from different regions and sectors of the mobility industry. For Germany, Wolff succeeds Robert Henrich, CEO of Hamburger Hochbahn, as one of six national vice presidents.

Oliver Wolff, born in 1965, has been at the helm of the VDV since June 2011. Prior to this, he headed Department II at the Ministry of Building and Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia, overseeing rail, air and shipping as well as general mobility policy. He has also served internationally as Vice President of the European railway association CER (2017) and of the global public transport body UITP (2013–2017). Earlier roles include senior positions in German and North Rhine-Westphalian tourism associations as well as in municipal administration.

At the same time, Wolff has also been confirmed for a new two-year mandate on the Management Board of CER (Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies), the umbrella organisation of Europe’s largest railway and infrastructure groups. The board includes the CEOs of Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB, SNCF and SBB, and will be chaired by Alan Beroud, CEO of Polish State Railways (PKP Group).

Wolff states: “In times when the European idea and democratic values are increasingly under pressure from nationalism, cross-border collaboration and global exchange are more important than ever. Whether in rail or public transport, our sector needs stable and reliable framework conditions to deliver strong services on both road and rail. This is what I intend to contribute during my mandates at CER and UITP.”