Frank Jost

Strategy Director DG MOVE – European Commission

Frank Jost joined the EU services in 1996, where he has been working as policy officer for rail market opening since 2004, in particular economic aspects of rail transport. Infrastructure usage charges, the accession of the West Balkan States, the economic readjustment of debt distressed States belong to his most important dossiers. As chairman of a working group of transport ministry officials he seeks to support the accession process of these States in the rail sector. Previous stages at the Commission involved him in road safety and economics of road transport.

Carmen Filipescu

Chairwoman of the CIV Committee – CIT
International Affairs Director – Regiotrans

Mrs. Carmen Filipescu, currently Director of International Affairs Regiotrans, graduated from Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest, Faculty of Transport and has extensive experience in rail passenger transport, mainly in commercial/ international law. During her activity at CFR Calatori, Mrs. Carmen Filipescu held several management positions both within the company and within international professional organisations to which CFR Calatori is a full member, such as: Director of International Affairs, Deputy Director General, Director of International Affairs and External Financing. She is Representative in the European/ World General Assembly and the Passenger Forum of International Union of Railways (UIC) and Representative of CER (European Community of Railway Undertakings and Infrastructure Managers) at level of “Assistants” and “General Directors”.
Since 2000 Carmen Filipescu is Vice President of CIV Commission of Passenger Transport Law to the International Committee of Transport (CIT) and since 2008 she is President of SERG (South East European Group of UIC) – Rail Passenger Activity.

Maria Price

European Affairs Manager – UIP

Mrs. Price is Manager, European Affairs, for the International Union of the Wagon Keepers (UIP), where she deals with the relations with the European Commission, European Parliament, European Railway Agency and the media, influences technical and policy decision-making at Sector and European Levels, and develops strategies for policy and research for freight rail industry and rail transport in general.
She holds a PhD in Trans-European Networks – Transport Cohesion of the High-Speed Rail Network in South-West Europe from the University of Oxford, Transport Studies Unit, School of Geography and the Environment. She was a stagiaire at the European Commission, DGTREN (now DG MOVE), Unit Intermodality and Logistics Brussels, Belgium where she worked on the following Dossiers: Consultation Paper on Security in International Transport, Intermodal Loading Unit, Freight Integrator, Marco Polo Programme, INTERMODA Project.

Mihuţ Crăciun

General Manager – CFR Marfa

With more than 23 years of overall experience as an International Executive, Mr. Mihuţ is, since April 2016, General Manager of CFR Marfa, the Romanian national operator that performs its activity on the whole railway network, offering the following services:

  • domestic and international rail transport
  • intermodal transport
  • transport  logistics
  • rolling stock leasing
  • rolling stock maintenance and repairs
  • other activities

Marius Chiper

General Manager – CFR SA

In 1994, he graduated from the “Politehnica” Bucharest, Faculty of Transport, Section Rolling Stock, and had a diploma in mechanical engineering. Marius Chiper has began his activity as locomotive engineer in former SNCFR in 1994, and he had an technical evolution as Technical Inspector at AFER, Chief of Railway Division at an private Railway Undertaking, Project manager and Chief of Project Management Unit at CFR. Currently he is General Manager of CFR SA

Iosif Szentes

CEO – CFR Călători

Mr. Szentes graduated in 1989 from the Faculty of Transports – Department of Transport Technology and Railway Remote Operations of the University Politehnica of Bucharest. He also completed several post-graduate classes, has a master’s degree in Project Management at SNSPA Bucharest and a PhD in Transports Engineering.
He held various positions at the Romanian National Railways Company – the Regional Division of Brașov and at the National Railway Training and Qualification Centre – CENAFER among which: project manager, expert-trainer, manager of CCIPTFT Centre CENAFER Brașov. Since 2012 he has been part of SNTFC “CFR Călători” SA where he has held positions such as: operations manager, international and institutional relations manager, consultant and member of the board of directors. Currently Iosif Szentes is the general manager of SNTFC “CFR Călători” S.A.

Marin Aldea

General Manager – Metrorex

Mr. Marin ALDEA was born on 19 August 1965. He has graduated from the Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering of Politehnica University of Bucharest and from the Faculty of Finance and Accounting of Athenaeum University of Bucharest. He holds a master’s degree in the Management of public services companies from the Faculty of Commerce of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies. He has worked from 1989, as Technological engineer, with a couple of state companies (Lathe Plant, Târgovişte and the Institute of Research and Design for Manufacturing Technologies “Chema Proiect S.A.”, Bucharest), and from 1991 with METROREX S.A., as Senior Engineer, Head of Planning – Strategy Department, Management of Operations Director, Strategy, Planning and Resources Director.
As of December 2015, he is General Director of METROREX S.A.

Lorenzo Casullo

Economist – Rail International Transport Forum – OECD

Mr. Casullo joined the International Transport Forum in 2015 to contribute the OECD’s programme of research and policy analysis – with a specific focus on rail transport. His background is in economics; he holds an MA from Cambridge University and an MSc from City University in London, where he specialized in economic regulation and competition. Prior to that, he was Senior Consultant at Steer Davies Gleave in London. As a consultant, he advised local, national and international institutions on issues of transport policy and regulation. He was heavily involved in the impact assessment of the Fourth Railway Package, working with DG MOVE and stakeholders across the EU, as well as regulatory measures relating to ERTMS and the review of track access charges regimes. He has also worked on the development of transport-led strategies such as ‘Midlands Connect’ and ‘Transport for the North’ in the UK, and has contributed to the analysis of traffic trends on road and rail concessions worldwide. Lorenzo held consultancy and advisory roles with the United Nations on issues of climate change, urban development and youth participation. At the OECD, Lorenzo has worked on the evaluation of efficiency measures in rail markets, including the analysis of impacts from open access competition. He has also contributed to the competition assessment of Romania’s rail freight market. He is currently advising the Chilean government on the formulation of their long-term infrastructure strategy.

Trevor Garrod

President – European Passengers’ Federation

Graduated in Modern Languages at Oxford University 1969 and awarded Post Graduate Certificate in Education at Leeds University in 1970. Worked as teacher 1970 – 1987 and then as civil servant in what is now Department of Work & Pensions, until retiring in 2011. Commuted to work by rail for a total of 24 years. Active in campaigns for better public transport since early 1970. General Secretary of Railway Development Society (now Railfuture) 1986 – 2001. Member of Railfuture Board 2006-2013. Chairman of European Passengers’ Federation since 2002, currently it’s President. Long experience in dialogue with transport professionals and political decision-makers, has organised conferences and events and written to edited many publications.

Michael Robson

Managing Director – Robson’s International Rail Consultancy

Mr. Robson is a time-served railway man having worked in the industry for 39 years. During this time he has held various senior positions both in the UK and in Europe including that of Secretary General of the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM). In the UK Michael Robson has experience of working at a senior level in an integrated railway, British Rail, a private stock market listed infrastructure company, Railtrack, and a company limited by guarantee and privately financed, Network Rail, where he was responsible for developing and implementing the Network Rail policy on European issues.
During his 7 years working in Europe, he gained an excellent knowledge of how the European institutions work along with developing an excellent network of contacts. He was on the Board of the European Railway Agency (ERA) where he was involved in developing the strategy of the ERA and in reviewing the progress of the development of TSIs. During his career, he has been involved in Operations, Performance, Timetabling, and Contract Management, Asset Management, Funding, Technical Specification of Interoperability (TSI), Passenger and Freight Marketing and other retail activities in addition to the usual General Management and Project work. Michael Robson is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Transport & Logistics and the Institute of Management.