On August 23, 2016, the General Assembly of International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) held during the International Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ICTAM 2016) in Montreal has elected Professor Henryk Petryk the Secretary General of IUTAM. This is a great honor to Prof. Petryk, confirming his high international recognition and scientific position. This is also a high appreciation for the entire Polish scientific community of mechanics, for the Committee of Mechanics, PAS, as well as for our Institute.