Judges
Elena Chiriotti
France
Jens Classen
Germany
Jens Classen is an experienced Senior Project Manager and TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) Consultant with a strong background in civil engineering and tunneling projects. He has an impressive track record of working on various tunneling projects worldwide and has held key roles in major construction companies.
He is currently employed as a Senior Project Manager at Implenia Construction GmbH, focusing on the Consorzio Dolomiti Brenner Base Tunnel Southern Access Route in Bolzano, Italy.
Jens Classen has extensive experience as an Independent TBM Consultant, providing worldwide consulting services for TBM drives in both tunneling and mining projects. He has been involved in several high-profile projects, offering expertise in TBM suitability, safety, and optimization.
In addition to his project management roles, Jens Classen has provided external consulting services for various projects, including serving as an expert witness for legal cases and offering consultancy on TBM drives and tunneling optimization.
He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Swiss Tunnelling Society, Italian Tunnelling Society, Canadian Tunnelling Society, and International Tunnelling Organization (ITA), where he holds a Vice-Chair position in the ITAtech Steering Board and is a member of Working Group No.17 "Long Tunnels at Great Depths."
Ross Dimmock
Finland
Ross has over 35 years’ of tunnelling experience primarily relating to the design and construction of permanent sprayed concrete linings for urban underground infrastructure projects. Over the last 13 years he has been with the Finnish company Normet, and currently is the Vice President for their Tunnelling business, having a focus on steering the tunnelling industry towards more sustainable solutions.
Through leading roles and exposure to the many facets of the international tunnelling industry, Ross has acquired a valuable, well-rounded “End to end” perspective of this challenging industry. He fully appreciates the technical demands of modern tunnel projects, and the need to establish a healthy balance between risk management and value engineering activities to determine the best outcomes.
Ross actively contributes to numerous industry standards and best practice guidelines on its further development and related technologies, with his recent focus on sustainable tunnelling. Ross is the chairman of the ITAtech Activity Group focused on new technologies for tunnel waterproofing and more efficient lining design. He also is a Steering Group Member for the newly formed SubSpace Energy Hub based in Switzerland, focusing on low carbon tunnelling and underground green energy storage.
Brad Grothen
United States of America
Brad Grothen, P.E. has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Material Science Engineering. Grothen is based in Robbins’ Kent, Washington office and has specialized in custom industrial and construction equipment for over 25 years in a variety of roles, including mechanical and electrical design and project management.
In his time at Robbins he has worked in a variety of roles within the company and is currently Robbins VP of Engineering. This role includes leading overall product design and working directly with clients to present current technologies and develop new solutions for projects.
He is active in both international and domestic tunnelling organizations, contributing and leading working groups focused in Mechanized Tunnelling, Long and Deep Tunnels, and consumables.
Subodh Kumar Gupta
India
Sh. S. K. Gupta graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from Aligarh Muslim University and recipient of the ‘University Medal’ for standing first in all branches of Engineering. He did Masters in Structural Dynamics from IIT/Roorkee.
He is an ex. Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer with 33 years of experience. He is presently Director(Projects) in the Mumbai Metro Rail Corp. Ltd, a JV of GoI and GoM to construct urban transport project of Colaba-Bandra-Seepz (Line3).
Colaba- Bandra-Seepz (Line-3), which is also called the ‘Aqua Line’, is a 33.5 km long fully underground metro corridor. It runs in the North-South direction, which is the primary direction of traffic in Mumbai. Line-3 has 26 underground stations and one station At Grade. It connects important originations and destinations and would have influence on 3 million population in Mumbai. It connects main railway stations of Churchgate, CST and Mumbai Central and also connects both the terminals of the airport.
Line-3 would also connect to the Line-1, Line-2, Line-6 and Line-7 of the metro network; and also the monorail. Line-3 stations are being built in the most congested as well as heritage areas in the city, such as Hutatma Chowk, Kalbadevi, Girgaon, Grant Road, Dadar and many more. In terms of Dr. Sreedharan, this is the most difficult urban infrastructure project ever undertaking in India.
Mr.Gupta comes with extensive experience of conceptualizing, planning, contracting and implementation of underground as well as elevated modern metro rail networks. He has worked as an Expat on an international metro consultancy project. He is widely travelled within India and abroad.
He recently presented a paper on Mumbai Metro Line-3: the execution strategy for delivering the Aqua line in “the World Tunnel Congress” recently held in Copenhagen.
Samuel Huckle
France
Sam, a civil/mining engineer with a British and Belgian background, specialises in project delivery. Embarking on his journey in the tunnelling industry in 2011, he has developed a multicultural understanding through involvement in multimillion-euro projects across Europe. His diverse roles encompass main works contractor, client's engineer/advisory, and client positions. Currently, Sam is involved in a tunnel tender for Hochtief Infrastructure GmbH.
Within the ITA, Sam has been part of the steering board of the Young Members since 2021, contributing to the development of the YM offering and supporting the association in the background. His representation of the AFTES association reflects his deep appreciation as a self-described Francophile. Within the French association, he serves as an editorial contributor and reviewer for the Tunnels & Espace Souterrain publication and upcoming Technical Recommendations.
In his leisure time, Sam is dedicated to the preservation and reinstatement of the Tunnel d’Yvoir, aiming to revitalise this piece of Belgian civil engineering heritage and its tourism potential
Rop Kiprono
Kenya
Eng. Kiprono D. Rop is a Kenyan citizen with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil and Structural Engineering and a Master degree in Project Planning and Management. He is currently a Principal Engineer at Athi Water Works Development Agency and a Secretary at the Tunnelling Association of Kenya. He has been actively involved in project formulation and concepts generation for funding, planning, designing, procurement and overall contract management.
Eng Kiprono has a wide range of interest that spans across several spectra associated with Civil Engineering and Project Management with a main bias in Contracts Administration and Project Management in Water Supply Infrastructure capital projects.
Over the past eleven years, his practice has mainly geared towards active Water Supply & Sanitation Design, Construction Supervision and Project Management for these works including supervision of Tunnelling works. Eng Kiprono Spearheaded the formation of the Tunnelling Association of Kenya and the incorporation of Kenya as an ITA Member nation.
Jeyatharan Kumarasamy
Singapore
Experienced geotechnical engineer with over 25 years of working experiences in the tunnelling and underground construction industry focusing on the land transport infrastructures. Working currently as Director (Civil Design) responsible for the design of major rail and road infrastructures at the Land Transport Authority, Singapore. He is a registered Professional Engineer (Civil) in Singapore and skilled in planning, design and construction of underground structures as stated below:
- Planning, design and construction of underground and above ground transport infrastructures
- Geotechnical design of foundations, retaining structures, tunnels, slopes and ground improvements
- Investigation of geotechnical failures/problems and recommendations
- Manage site investigation, lab and field testing and factual investigation reports
- Planning instrumentation and monitoring and interpret of monitoring data
- Prepare Geotechnical Interpretative and Baseline Reports (GIBR)
- Provide construction claim assessments
Recent Professional Contributions:
- Executive council member of International Tunnelling Association (ITA-AITES) (2019 – 2021)
- President of the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Society Singapore (2018 – 2024)
- Immediate Past President of the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Society Singapore (Since 2024)
- Chairman of site investigation technical committee under Singapore Accreditation Council (2014 – 2023)
Joe Luxford
Australia
Camilo Marulanda
Colombia
