Founders
The founding members provided the means to set up the ITACET Foundation on the initiative of Chairman Al Mogbel and Mr Claude Berenguier.
Main founders
Eng. Abdullah Al-Mogbel
ITACET Foundation Founder President
H.E. Eng. Abdullah Al-Mogbel graduated from the Saudi University of Petroleum and Minerals in 1978, with a degree in civil engineering. He began his prestigious career in the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Communication. From 2012-2014 he was the Mayor of Riyadh and from 2014 to 2016 was the Minister of Transport, working on some of Saudi Arabia’s largest infrastructure projects.
Martin Herrenknecht
ITACET Foundation Vice President
Martin Herrenknecht is the founder of Herrenknecht AG. After completing his degree, he began his career as a design engineer in Switzerland. This was followed by several positions as project and design engineering manager in Canada and Germany. In 1971 he moved back Switzerland and became director of the mechanical engineering service at the Seelisberg Tunnel. In 1975 he founded the Martin Herrenknecht Engineering Service Company, then in 1977 the limited company Herrenknecht GmbH, where he remained Managing Director until it became a stock
Arnold Dix
ITA President
He initiated and then Tutored the New FIDIC - ITA Underground Works form of Contract, conducts or appears on Alternative Dispute Resolution Boards, Mediations and Arbitrations and investigates tunnel disasters around the world. He is a member of the British Institute of Investigators. Arnold has served on the committees and working groups of the ITA, FIDIC, PIARC and NFPA for decades. He is active on all continents, a member of the specialist Underground Works Chambers, a member of the Victorian Bar and is a visiting Professor of Engineering (tunnels) Tokyo City University.
Felix Amberg
ITACET Foundation Secretary and Treasurer
Felix Amberg (born 1957) is president and founder of the CUC Foundation and CUC Ltd - International Centre for Geotechnics and Underground Construction.
After completing his degree, Felix Amberg began his career as assistant in the Institute for Hydrology and Water Resources at the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland. This was followed by several positions, some lasting several years, as construction site manager and project engineer.
Piergiorgio Grasso
ITACET Foundation Council Member
Piergiorgio Grasso is the ITACET Foundation Vice President. He graduated from the ‘Politecnico di Torino’ in Italy with a degree in civil engineering. He began his engineering career in 1975 and is the founder and president of Geodata, a consultancy firm specialised in the design and management of underground works, both in urban environments and […]
Sherif W. Wissa Agaiby
ITACET Foundation Former Council member
Prof. Dr. Sherif Wissa Aigaiby is the Director of the Geotechnical and Heavy Civil Engineering Department at Dar Al-Handasah Consultants (Shair and Partners). Dr Agaiby earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Cairo University, Egypt in 1983 and 1987, respectively, and his Ph.D. from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA in 1991.
Dr. Agaiby taught and conducted research in most fields of Geotechnical Engineering as a university faculty member (Cairo University; 1983 - 2004). Since joining Dar Al-Handasah, Dr. Agaiby has been actively involved in consulting and has participated in the planning, analyzing, designing, and providing during construction follow-up for major engineering projects worldwide.
Dr. Agaiby is involved in many national and international scientific activities including: Chairperson of the Professional Image Committee, International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE), 2013 to 2017; Board Member, Council of Foundation of ITA-CET, Foundation for Education and Training on Tunneling and Underground Space Use; member of the Egyptian Code of Practice for Geotechnical Engineering and Foundations on Rock committee and the Site Investigation committee; member of the Egyptian Code of Practice committee for the Design and Construction of Tunnels and Underground Structures.
Claude Berenguier
ITACET Foundation Former Executive Director
Claude Berenguier was one of the main founders of the International Tunnelling Association in the 1970s and was its Secretary General for over 30 years. As well as this major role, in which he oversaw the growth of the Association and its activities, in parallel he also had an impressive career as a civil servant, […]
