Through the past decades, the energy and foresight to lead the management of the ITA International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association has been in the hands of Olivier Vion, a man of dedication and commitment, going beyond the brief for the good of the Association and its mission. As Executive Director of the ITA from 2009 to 2023 and as part of the ITA family from the early 1990s as Editor of the ITA Tribune magazine, Olivier is widely known and respected as a guiding force of the Association and all its activities.

In recognition of his dedication and leadership, it is with shock and deep sadness to announce that Olivier died on Saturday, 20 July 2024, in his hometown Toulouse, France, surrounded by his loving family and after a short illness related to an aggressive cancer.

Olivier was an experienced administrator and skilled diplomat, qualities that he called upon heavily in his more than 14 years as ITA Executive Director and in managing the ITA Secretariat, guiding the ITA Executive Council, and orchestrating the activities of the ITA community of 80 Member Nations, many Working Groups, several Committees, and the international industry of companies and individuals engaged in the promotion and development of underground space and infrastructure. 

After an early education at Saint Jean Hulst, a private Catholic high school and college in Versailles from 1972 to 1980, Olivier earned an EUR-ACE diploma in engineering from the ESTP school of major projects in Paris in 1986, followed with a Masters’ Degree in Human Resources from the PSL Dauphine University of organizational and decision sciences in 1987 and concluding with a further education course in 2010 at the CHEDD, Cycle of Advanced Studies in Sustainable Development designed to guide the strategic decisions of organizations by integrating the principles of sustainable development.

This education laid the foundation of Olivier’s wide and varied career, dedicated in the most part to public service and civic duty. As well as his long association and leadership of the ITA, Olivier held administrative positions with several societies and local and national government and non-governmental organisations including:

•  A member for more than 24 years of Eurosud-Transport, an organisation promoting the use of railways in South West Europe, rising to be a Vice-President and its Treasurer
•  A member and President of the Midi Pyrenees branch of the Association URISMIP, Regional Union of Engineers and Scientists, that brings together, at the national level, French engineers and scientists with the mission to strengthen the network of the Ecole Centrale de Lille and promote synergy with other Central Network Schools in the region
• Member and President of the UDOGEC09-31 Union of Catholic Education Management Organizations in the Haute Garonne and Ariege regions of France, a non-profit association created by the Catholic Education Board to serve as an educational institution
• Member of the Toulouse CODEV, Council of Metropolitan Development, a participatory assembly that brings together numerous stakeholders and constitutes an interface between the Toulouse Métropole urban community and local civil society
• Member of the Board of Directors of ORQUASI, the Regional Observatory for the quality of infrastructures in the southern Occitanie region of France

As testament to his energy, these engagements were concurrent with Olivier’s engagement with the ITA, prior to which he worked independently and with major companies in France promoting civil engineering and tunnelling as Managing Director of the marketing company Acrotere and Editor of its European Newsletter of Underground Works ; Commercial Deputy Director of DTP Terrassement  in charge of bidding for large projects in earthmoving works all other France ; and as Development Engineer of Lafarge Aluminates, developing special cementitious products to be used in underground infrastructure.  

From his earliest assignments as communications manager for ITA, Olivier was appointed in 2008 to the position of Executive Director, one of the most influential and responsible positions in the Association and across the international underground industry. As the right-hand man for six ITA Presidents, Olivier oversaw exponential growth of the ITA and its operations with Member Nations increasing from 54 in 2008 to  80 in 2024. This magnified the responsibility of the Executive Director and of the operations of the Secretariat that he directed.

Along with a tremendous increase in administrative tasks, the increase in Member Nations also required more extensive international travel to cement the links and guide the activities of the members. Untiringly and with total commitment, Olivier took on this duty as part of all efforts to advance the mission of the ITA.

When Olivier resigned from ITA in early 2023, to pursue further public and civic ambitions in France, he stayed on when asked, to be a consultant to manage the celebrations of the Association’s 50th anniversary at the World Tunnel Congress and ITA General Assembly of 2024 in Shenzhen, China. After its founding in 1974, there was great cause for celebration. Under his efforts, seven of the 17 Presidents of the Association were at the event in person and a special plenary session of the near 3,000 delegates honoured the presidencies of part Presidents and the achievements of the Association through its history. 

Everyone associated with the ITA through the years will have enduring memories of Olivier, of his presence at every General Assembly during his tenure as Executive Director, of his management of so many ITA events including the ITA Tunnelling Awards since their inception in 2015, and of his capable stewardship of all things associated with smooth management and operation of the Association and its universal mission as a recognised non-governmental organisation of the United Nations, to promote the vital development of underground infrastructure for the betterment of the lives of all human beings of the world.  

Among his many personal qualities, Olivier will be remembered for his boundless sense of duty to serve, his unwavering commitment to obligations, his ability to bring people together, and his capacity to foster the best from his work colleagues and team players. His steady demeaner, cheerful approach to life, and ever pleasant manner, with a quick recourse to humour and laughter are traits that friends and colleagues will remember of being in Olivier’s company.

Olivier has left an indelible mark on the ITA community and beyond. His leadership inspired many around the world to promote the use of underground space. His legacy will live on through the numerous projects and initiatives he championed and his memory will continue to inspire future generations of ITA leaders and guide its future endeavours and undertakings.

R.I.P. Olivier.