Distinguished Fellows

Prof. Al Hadithi is a highly respected figure in the global engineering community, with an exceptional career that spans decades of impactful contributions to engineering education, research, professional practice, and international collaboration.

A distinguished scholar and academic leader, he has served as Dean of multiple engineering faculties, including the Faculty of Engineering at El Moustansiriah University, the Structure and Construction Faculty at the Technologies University – Baghdad, and the Urban and Regional Planning lnstitute for High Studies – Baghdad. He has also been an influential Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Baghdad, and a member of several high-level scientific and technical committees.

His academic achievements include a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Baghdad University, a Doctorate in Civil Engineering from the National lnstitute of Applied Sciences (INSA) in France, and a State Doctorate in Physics Sciences / Civil Engineering from Nantes University and INSA. Prof. Al Hadithi has also made significant contributions as Secretary General of the Federation of Arab Engineers (FAE), President of the Engineering Association of Mediterranean Countries (EAMC), and a Member of the WFEO Executive Council.

Professor Yong Geng is the current chair of Committee of Engineering and the Environment (CEE) at WFEO. Since 2015, Dr. Yong Geng has served as the Dean and Chair Professor at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Prior to this, he was a Professor at the Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) from 2008 to 2014.

He also served an NIES Fellow at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Japan, from 2007 to 2008. Earlier in the career, was an Associate Professor at Dalian University of Technology (DUT) and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Leipzig, Germany. He Began the academic journey as a Lecturer at DUT and gained industry experience as a Project Manager at Dalian International Trust and Investment Company.

Other key roles include as a National Consultant for UNIDO since 2019, a lead Author for the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (2018–2022) and the Fifth Assessment Report (2010–2015), focusing on industry-related climate change mitigation, a National Expert for UNIDO’s Resource Efficient Cleaner Production (RECP) project (2012–2016), a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) of United Nations University (UNU) , and an International Expert for UNCRD’s Regional 3R Forum in the Asia-Pacific Region (2009–2014). Additionally, he has been a member of the Journal of Industrial Ecology’s Best Paper Committee (2014–now).

Academically, he has led many research projects funded by Ministry of Science and Technology of China and Natural Science Foundation of China and published over 470 research articles in renown international journals, including Science, Nature, Science Advances, Nature Climate Change, Nature Energy and Nature Communications. Moreover, he has been a highly cited researcher by Clarivate since 2018.

Dr. Kretschmann is full Professor and President of the TH Georg Agricola University (THGA), Bochum, Germany, a WFEO associate.

He is also an the Managing Director of DMT Society for Teaching and Education (DMT-LB) and an external Professor at RWTH Aachen University. In these respects, his role is both in Engineering Research and in Knowledge Transfer, specifically in the post-mining area. A proof of his significant work is that on 9 May 2020, the THGA was awarded the European banner by Europa-Bochum, acknowledging the commitment of the German university “in and for Europe”.

Dr. Kretschmann has been long time active in WFEO Working Groups, thus highlighting the importance of international cooperation in engineering. He stands out by far to promote the Engineering Profession as a fundamental tool to achieve sustainable development and green environment in support of the UN SDGs.

The Engineers Europe community has known Dr. Kretschmann since many years in the context of his active support for the Engineers Europe German National Monitoring Committee. He successfully advocated for a closer relationship of engineering graduates and the Engineers Europe organization, in particular the Engineers Europe ING Professional Title. THGA is also a strong partner within the Engineers Europe initiative “Engineers for Europe”.

Vilas Mujumdar has been an independent consulting engineer since 2009. Previously he was CEO, President and Partner in many large engineering firms and at highest-level in the public sector; Chief of Operations, Division of State Architect, State of California; Director, Engineering Research Centers Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). His professional experience included Design, Project Management, Teaching, and Research Management in Asia, Europe, Canada and the US.

Vilas Mujumdar was a recipient of many awards and recognitions nationally and internationally. He served on American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) board of Direction and has served on the Board of Direction of many other Professional Societies He was recognized internationally for his leadership and contribution to integrated trans-disciplinary work in reducing natural hazard risks, and was proactively involved in addressing resilience and sustainability issues facing the global society.

An author of two books, 85 papers, and keynote speaker for over 30 international conferences, Vilas Mujumdar’s leadership experience in the field of engineering was immense. He holded his doctorate in public administration and public policy (seismic risk), a master’s degree in structural engineering, and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Mujumdar also received a master of business administration in finance.

Vilas Mujumdar was awarded the WFEO Medal of Engineering Excellence in November 2019.

Hon. Eng. Hilary Onek Obaloker, born on 5 May 1948, is a Ugandan engineer, academic, and long‑serving politician whose career spans technical leadership, public administration, and national governance. He currently serves as Uganda’s Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, a position he assumed in May 2013 after earlier appointments as Minister for Energy and Minerals (2009–2011) and Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (2006–2009). Since 2001, he has also represented Lamwo County in the Parliament of Uganda.

Onek’s academic foundation is rooted in engineering, having earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the People’s Friendship University in Moscow, specializing in Water Resources and Hydro‑technical Structural Engineering. He further completed a fellowship in Hydropower Dams at the Moscow Institute of Civil Engineering. His professional development continued with postgraduate training at Harvard University and the Institute for Public‑Private Partnerships in Washington, DC, culminating in an MBA from Makerere University in 2000. He is a registered Chartered Engineer in Uganda.

His engineering career began with hands‑on roles at major hydropower dam construction sites in Tajikistan and Georgia. He later contributed to international dam design projects and conducted research on soil stability and hydro‑technical structures. Returning to Uganda in 1980, he lectured at Makerere University before joining the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), where he rose to Managing Director. From 1983 to 1998, he oversaw major expansions of water and sewerage services, introduced corporate planning, modernized information systems, and pioneered public‑private partnerships that significantly improved revenue and operational efficiency.

After leaving NWSC, Onek worked as a private consultant in engineering, investment appraisal, and human resource management until entering elective politics. His career reflects a blend of technical expertise, institutional reform, and national leadership.

Eng. Sotuyo Blanco is an Industrial Engineer and has a professional career of more than 30 years, specialized in maintenance engineering and reliability engineering. He held various positions in maintenance, engineering, logistics and industrial management in companies in Uruguay, in areas of engineering, agribusiness, leather, food.

As a senior technical contributor to ARMS Reliability, Eng. Santiago Sotuyo Blanco regularly participates in and contributes to the evolution of the Reliability Engineering Intellectual Property, know-how and approach.

Having the experience across several industry verticals, Eng. Santiago Sotuyo regularly contributes the global asset management community through conference presentations and panel participation. Eng. Sotuyo Blanco constantly support the development of our engineering resources, sharing his experience and expertise across our dedicated engineering team.

He is former President of the Uruguayan Society of Maintenance, Asset Management and Reliability (URUMAN) and former President of the Pan American Committee of Maintenance Engineering (COPIMAN). He has an outstanding participation in the Pan American Union of Engineering Associations (UPADI), and is former member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Engineers of Uruguay (AIU) and currently member of the board of directors of the Latin America chapter of the Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP).