We are delighted to welcome Franco Azzato, iRAP’s new Training and Accreditation Coordinator.  In his role, Franco will be responsible for iRAP training, which has helped make the iRAP methodology accessible to thousands of people around the world, and the iRAP accreditation scheme, which supports the creation of a market of suppliers able to competitively bid to provide iRAP-specification services.

Franco is coming to iRAP from Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez where he has worked across several areas including a motorcycle safety program that has involved more than 100 webinars, child restraint testing with international partners such as LatinNCAP, and implementing Star Ratings for Schools (SR4S).

He has also been advising the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on motorcycle safety and just recently his work has been published.

On his appointment as the new Training and Development Coordinator, Franco said, “Training professionals on Road Safety, and accrediting them on the usage of tools, is a serious matter. It is not enough to develop the knowledge and tools; those must be in the correct hands so proper improvements can get to the places where they are needed. I feel honoured to be part of iRAP, such an important Programme in the world of Road Safety, and I am really looking forward to actively contributing to the final objective: saving lives!”

Franco is based in Argentina.

iRAP warmly welcomes Franco to our team!

iRAP thanks the Fundación Gonzalo Rodríguez for their continued support, in particular the Star Rating for Schools Programme and we look forward to more opportunities to make journeys safer for children around the world through their activities.

And as we welcome Franco, we say goodbye to Alessandra Françoia, who has been iRAP’s Training and Accreditation Coordinator since 2018. Ale has been such an incredible leader and friend to all of us at iRAP and in the RAP Community and she will be dearly missed.

Ale has been responsible for the growth of the Training and Accreditation Programme, which, as at 31 December 2021, has now seen 47,000 people trained in 150 countries, 245 accreditations issued across more than 90 organisations, and 186 individuals and 15 systems accredited to perform iRAP specification services to international standard across the world.

Her hard work and dedication has seen the implementation of a world-class training and accreditation programme, delivered in a 24-hour global timezone; building road safety capacity in countries; leading to safer roads the world-over; and ensuring more people are getting home safely to their families.

Thank you Alessandra, we wish you all the best for the new chapter in your life!