ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr G. Betru
PhD · FICE · CEng · CQP · MCQI
Chartered Civil Engineer, infrastructure leader and Chartered Quality Professional bringing major-project governance discipline to responsible artificial intelligence.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr G. Betru is a Chartered Civil Engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Chartered Quality Professional with more than three decades of international experience in infrastructure planning, organizational governance, quality management and major-project delivery.
EDUCATION
PhD Civil Engineering · MSc Soil MechanicsHeriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
MSc Management in ConstructionKingston University, Surrey
BSc (Hons) Civil EngineeringUniversity of Leeds
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP — ETHIOPIAN RAILWAYS CORPORATION
Founding leadership of a nationally significant railway programme.
From 2007 to 2017, Dr Betru served as the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Ethiopian Railways Corporation. During his tenure, he led the conceptualisation, promotion, planning, financing and governance of more than 1,300 kilometres of electrified standard-gauge railway infrastructure. This programme included the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway and the Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit system — two of the most significant modern railway initiatives undertaken in sub-Saharan Africa in recent decades.
As founding Chief Executive Officer, he was also responsible for establishing the corporation's organizational structures, quality-management arrangements and project-governance frameworks. His work required the coordination of government institutions, international financiers, contractors, engineering organizations and other stakeholders across complex, large-scale infrastructure programmes.
INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANCY & SPEAKING
Since 2017, Dr Betru has continued to support governments, infrastructure authorities and project promoters in the planning, governance and delivery of modern railway and transportation projects. He has presented at prominent professional and academic forums, including:
- Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- University of Oxford
- African Rail · Middle East Rail · East African Rail
- World Metrorail Congress
AI GOVERNANCE FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
Engineering discipline for responsible AI.
Drawing upon his experience in engineering, executive leadership, railway development and quality management, Dr Betru now addresses one of the defining challenges facing infrastructure and transportation organizations: the responsible governance and management of artificial intelligence.
He argues that the rigour, accountability, risk-based thinking and systems approach required for the successful delivery of major infrastructure programmes must also be applied to AI — and that engineers, quality professionals, project leaders and senior executives are uniquely positioned to ensure that AI is deployed safely, transparently and responsibly throughout the infrastructure and transportation lifecycle.
Through the application of ISO/IEC 42001 Artificial Intelligence Management Systems, Dr Betru presents a structured approach for transforming AI from an emerging technological capability into a governed, accountable and value-creating organizational resource.