ECF announces new CEOs and best practice guide for safer cycling
The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) has announced the appointment of Jill Warren and Morten Kabell as its new co-Chief Executive Officers, effective from 3rd February.
Warren and Kabell replace ECF’s outgoing interim Secretary General, Cristian Stoica, who steered the Brussels-based organisation through its reconfiguration in 2019.
A marketing, communications and business development professional, Warren was Chief Marketing Officer at Bird & Bird LLP, an international law firm, and holds 20 years’ experience in the global legal sector. Having also worked in the transport sector, Warren is a passionate cyclist.
She said of her appointment: “There has never been a better time to promote cycling, and I am very much looking forward to working closely with the board, members and staff of ECF to achieve the organisation’s ambitious goals of more and better cycling for all in Europe.”
A strong cycling advocate and politician, Kabell was formerly CEO of Copenhagenize Design Co., a globally renowned consultancy focusing on bicycle infrastructure and cycling culture. Between 2014-17 he served Copenhagen as mayor for technical and environmental affairs, and has been an active member of the city council since 1998.
He said: “I am happy and honoured to become part of the European Cyclists’ Federation. I will do my best to promote the greenest mode of transport across the continent.”
Christophe Naidovski, ECF President, added: “The environmental emergency we are facing needs a strong answer from the mobility sector, and the 2020s will be defining years for the century to come. In preparation for what lies ahead, we have restructured the ECF to be one of the leading organisations in the sustainable mobility sector in Europe and beyond.”
Best practice for safer cycling
The ECF has published a technical best practice guide, funded by FedEx Express, aimed at supporting community and non-government organisations (NGOs) advocating for safer cycling in European cities.
Authored by the ECF, together with the Dutch Cyclists’ Union and Danish Cyclists’ Federation, the guide gives an overview of the behaviours, infrastructure, education, legal framework and enforcement in place in the Netherlands and Denmark, both of which have developed strong cycling cultures.
According to ECF, the guide aims to be a source of information for organisations wanting to create road conditions that will increase the number of people cycling along them, and improve safety for all road users.
“The Netherlands and Denmark have each spent decades developing policies and infrastructure focused on keeping cyclists safe,” said Ceri Woolsgrove, ECF Policy Officer. “Represented in the project by ECF’s members, Fietsersbond and Cyklistforbundet, this guide collates the expertise of both countries in an accessible format for the first time.
“Policy makers must now have the confidence to implement the measures described, in order to move toward a safer and more sustainable transport system.”
The launch of the guide marks a milestone in ECF’s two-year Safer Advocacy Programme. The second year of the project will see the roll-out of workshops delivered by the ECF to NGOs in Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia, and a ‘Back to School’ awareness and educational campaign.
Read the best practice guide here.
