The Brenner Base Tunnel, one of the most important infrastructure projects currently being built in Europe, is setting a course for the future. As of 1 October 2025, Mr. Umberto Lebruto is the Italian CEO of the Brenner Base Tunnel project company (BBT SE).
The appointment, finalised by the Supervisory Board of BBT SE at its meeting on 30 September, gives Lebruto a three-year term of office. At the same time, the Council also confirmed the Austrian CEO, Mr. Martin Gradnitzer.
Lebruto is taking over from Gilberto Cardola, who was appointed in 2019 and made significant contributions to the Brenner Base Tunnel project. The Supervisory Board, BBT SE and its shareholders, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG and TFB (Tunnel Ferroviario del Brennero Holding S.p.A.), which in turn is owned by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, the Autonomous Provinces of Bolzano and Trento and the Province of Verona, would like to thank Cardola in particular for his long-standing commitment, professional expertise and contribution to the construction of the world's longest railway tunnel.
The new Italian CEO has extensive experience in the railway infrastructure sector and in large national and international projects. "I am honoured to be able to work constructively with my colleague, Austrian CEO Martin Gradnitzer, and the entire BBT SE team to define the next steps of the project. The Brenner Base Tunnel is a key project for sustainable mobility in Europe and a symbol of the close cooperation between Italy and Austria”, says Lebruto.
The newly-appointed Italian CEO, Lebruto, together with his Austrian counterpart Gradnitzer, will now work together on the Brenner Base Tunnel project, a 64-kilometre-long cross-border tunnel. Their shared goal is to complete this extraordinary work and make a decisive contribution to shifting freight traffic from road to rail.
Professional Profile - Mr. Umberto Lebruto
Umberto Lebruto graduated with honours in Civil Engineering from the Federico II University in Naples and started his career in 1993 with the FS Italiane group, holding technical and management positions throughout Italy. From 2014 to 2018, he was Director of Production at RFI. Lebruto was CEO of FS Sistemi Urbani for six years and since 2021 has also been Chairman of FS Park S.p.A. Starting in 2025, until his appointment as the Italian CEO by the Supervisory Board of BBT SE, he was the head of inter-group Projects at FS Holding, leading important strategic national and international projects.
Professional Profile - Mr. Martin Gradnitzer
Since September 2019, Martin Gradnitzer has been the Austrian-appointed CEO of BBT SE, the European company in charge of building the Brenner Base Tunnel. Gradnitzer has been working in the railway infrastructure sector since 1998: he worked in planning and construction for Brenner Eisenbahn GmbH, was deputy project manager for the new Inn Valley railway between Kundl and Baumkirchen, and was project manager for Tyrol and Vorarlberg at the Projects, New Construction and Expansion Division of ÖBB Infrastruktur AG.
