Elected to the Executive Committee in 2020 and then re-elected in 2024, Amit Chowdhury has amassed a formidable body of work as a member of the mountaineering community over the last 45 years.

Amit has acted as climber, instructor and administrator, developing knowledge both in technical training and management consultancy. He has served the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, holding the positions of Honorary Secretary (2011-2013), Vice-President (2013-2017) and since 2017, as Chairman of the Mountaineering Steering Committee.

Amit acted as President of the UIAA Safety Commission from 2017 to 2020 and previously was on the UIAA Management Board.

He has significant climbing experience, having led the successful expedition to Mt Jogin in 1980 and has climbed extensively in the Himalayas, including expeditions to Kamet (7756m) and Satopanth (7075m).

Having graduated from Jadavpur University, Kolkata in 1976, Amit was commissioned in the Indian Air Force. Upon leaving the IAF, Amit established his own Management Consultancy practice and has since been a passionate advocate of mountain safety.

Amit became UIAA Vice President in 2023.

Yolanda de Both was elected to the EC at the 2024 UIAA General Assembly.

Yolanda is an accomplished executive with over 15 years of leadership experience in finance and business strategy. She has served as both Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in several leading international organizations.

Alongside her professional career, Yolanda holds a number of volunteer roles including as a member of the Finance Committee of the Dutch National Olympic Committee and for the National Board of the Royal Dutch Climbing and Mountaineering Club (NKBV).

In recognition for her professional expertise, Yolanda was listed in the ‘MT Next Leadership 50’ in 2020.

She is passionate about the outdoors and the mountains and enjoys hiking, mountain biking, via ferrata and trail running.

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Simon Alden, founder of the Malta Climbing Club (MCC) – now Climb MT – in 2010, joined the Executive Committee in October 2023.

Simon has been an active rock climber for some 45 years. He has climbed extensively across Europe. In 2011, Alden organised Malta’s first bouldering competition, along with weekly climbing meets, clean-ups and climbing workshops.

In 2016, he facilitated a Kids Zone section of the MCC with the aim of introducing climbing to children at an early age. In 2019, the first Maltese youth participants took part in a climbing competition overseas.

He was a founder member of EUMA in 2018 and continues to work on establishing training and certification for climbers and instructors in Malta.

In his professional career, Malta works as General Manager for an electronics manufacturing company he established in 2004.

Before joining the EC, he was a member of the UIAA Management Board from 2019 to 2023. Simon was instrumental in the successful hosting of the UIAA GA held in his native Malta in 2024.

Saray Khumalo was elected to the EC at the 2024 UIAA General Assembly.

Saray is a Zambian-born, South African mountaineer, adventurer, and motivational speaker renowned for her groundbreaking achievements in exploration.

A Guinness World Record holder, she became the first Black African woman to summit Mount Everest (in 2019) and has completed the prestigious Seven Summits challenge, scaling the highest peak on each continent between 2012 and 2024.

As the founder of Base2Summits, an eco-adventure company, Saray blends her passion for sustainable travel with impactful community initiatives. She is also an ambassador for Laureus Sports for Good and Scouts UK. She has leveraged her adventures to inspire positive change and empower others as we change the narrative for the next generation of Africans.

A member of the Mountain Club of South Africa, Saray is a certified mountain guide and has guided for over 500 hours across Africa.

Martín Lascano González was elected to the UIAA Executive Committee in 2020. He was re-elected at the 2024 GA in Malta.

Martín’s association with the UIAA stretches back to 2008 when he became a member of the UIAA Safety Commission (2008-2016). From 2016 he has sat on the UIAA Management Committee as Central and South American representative. The following year he was elected on to the Board of Directors of the Panamanian Council of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). González served as General Secretary of the Federación Argentina de Ski y Andinismo (FASA) from 2010-2018.

He graduated as an Industrial Designer form the University of Buenos Aires in 1998, before moving to the city of Bariloche to further his passion for mountaineering.

He has climbed extensively throughout the Argentine and Chilean Patagonia, the Peruvian Andes as well as across Europe. Martín has considerable experience teaching rock and climbing courses and has developed and led Wilderness First Responder courses since 2007. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in emergency training and risk management which he utilises in his professional career as the CEO of Expertia Capacita.

Martin was instrumental in the successful hosting of the inaugural UIAA Mountain Sports Training Course held in Bariloche, Argentina in April 2024.

Wang Yongfeng, Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA), is on his second term as a UIAA Executive Committee member (re-elected in 2023). He brings to the UIAA a wealth of experience and expertise. He has held the position of CMA Vice President since 2008 and has been a leader of multiple Chinese expeditions to the high mountains.

Wang Yongfeng plays an instrumental role in the CMA’s management of competition sport. He serves as Team Leader for both the federation’s burgeoning climbing team and its ski mountaineering team. He is also President of the Asian Ski Mountaineering Federation. During his first term on the UIAA EC, he was instrumental in bringing the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour to China with successful competitions in Beijing and Hohhot. His own climbing experience includes expeditions to a number of the Seven Summits, including Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Aconcagua and Denali.