Inaugural winner of Carl Robertus Award
Former Eurobitume Director General Siobhan McKelvey is the first recipient of the Carl Robertus Award, established earlier this year in memory of a valued colleague and former Eurobitume president who dedicated his career to supporting the bitumen industry.
Former Eurobitume Director General Siobhan McKelvey is the first recipient of the Carl Robertus Award, established earlier this year in memory of a valued colleague and former Eurobitume president who dedicated his career to supporting the bitumen industry.
Siobhan, who held senior leadership roles within Eurobitume for a decade -three years as President followed by seven as Director General – received the award in recognition of her outstanding commitment, passion, contributions and exceptional impact on the industry.
Receiving the award from Eurobitume President Fabrice Blanc (TotalEnergies) at the recent General Meeting in Brussels, reflecting on her decade in leadership, Siobhan noted that when she joined the Eurobitume Board, the organisation faced several challenges.
“Meeting some of these challenges required change and could have created many uncertainties,” she explained. “But with the support of our members and the Eurobitume team we embraced change and are now in great shape to fly the bitumen flag and be the first reference for bitumen in Europe.”
Among her notable achievements, Siobhan oversaw a major restructuring of Eurobitume, successfully implementing a mid-term strategy that evolved the association into a single, unified European organisation. During 2014–15, five national associations were integrated under the Eurobitume umbrella as Local Representations. This vision was fully realised between 2022–24, when Eurobitume became one organisation with a single mission, vision, and unified budget.
Under Siobhan’s leadership, Eurobitume’s membership nearly tripled as new categories were introduced, widening participation across the sector. She also led the reshaping of the Eurobitume team, guiding transitions and building a new team of experts in Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), Technical, Sustainability, and Communications.
Several key milestones marked Siobhan’s tenure, including Eurobitume’s 50th anniversary in 2019 and the strengthening of its partnership with the Asphalt Institute. Another highlight was the creation, in collaboration with EAPA, of the E&E Event – a biennial industry event designed to complement the flagship E&E Congress. The first two editions were held in Berlin, in 2018 and 2022, and preparations are already underway for the 3rd E&E Event, which will take place in Vienna in 2026.
As she handed over to her successor, Hervé Millet, Siobhan expressed confidence in Eurobitume’s future: “I leave content and with great pride in what we have achieved and am excited for the future of our industry. Eurobitume is in excellent hands and ready to build on the progress we have made together.”
