Speakers 2024

Dr Amani Abou-Zeid is the twice-elected African Union Commissioner in charge of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation.
She has previously served in leadership positions in international organisations, such as the African Union, African Development Bank, UNDP and USAID, with a focus on infrastructure and energy programmes and championing gender equality and women in STEM. Commissioner Abou-Zeid launched the Single African Air Transport Market, the, African Single Electricity Market to bridge the electricity gap in Africa towards achieving 100% access to electricity by 2040. She also launched Africa’s Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence, Sustainable Fuel for Air Transport, Green fuels strategies and action plans to help Africa leapfrog and expedite its socio-economic development following a sustainable and smart path. She implemented numerous major national and transcontinental infrastructure programmes focusing, embracing technology and climate resilience, ensuring gender equality and engaging with local and global stakeholders to ensure sustainability, effectiveness and impact.
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Elena Beccalli is the dean of the School of Banking, Finance and Insurance at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Full professor of Banking, her teaching includes Portfolio management, Financial intermediation, EU financial systems and bank management. In the same university, she serves as director of the Research center on cooperative banking.
She is research associate at the Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation (London School of Economics), and academic fellow at the Centre for Responsible Banking and Finance (University of St. Andrews).
She is the chairwoman of Associazione Europea per il Diritto Bancario e Finanziario (AEDBF).

Based in Italy, born in 1959, married, 2 sons, Fabio Benasso joined Accenture in 1984 after graduating from Pavia University with a degree with honor in Economics. He became a partner in 1997.
During his more than 30-year career with Accenture, Fabio has held a variety of positions of increasing relevance.
He has been Accenture’s Country Managing Director in Italy from September 2006 till September 2021 driving significant growth and development for Accenture’s business.
From September 1st, 2021 till September 2023, Fabio Benasso has been President of Accenture S.p.A. and member of Accenture’s Executive Committee and, in addition, member of Global Management Committee as Advisor to the Chair & CEO.
Fabio advises Accenture’s Chair & CEO on important topics including the company’s growth and investment strategy, business performance, organizational effectiveness and restructuring.
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After twenty-year career in marketing for multinational companies in the publishing (Gruner), entertainment (Walt Disney), and utilities (SHV) sectors, Bernacchi continued in the non-profit. Until February 2019 she was CEO of two major NGOs (WeWorld, Cesvi) with humanitarian and development programs.
Since September 2019, she has been Executive Director of UN Global Compact Network Italy, the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative in the world.
From 2020 to 2022, she was in the Stakeholder Advisory Board of Edison.
Since 2022 she has been appointed board member of Snam Foundation.

He was born in Campogalliano, in the province of Modena, on January 1, 1967. Married, he has two daughters and became a grandfather a few months ago. His political experience starts in the territory, right in Campogalliano, as a very young alderman. Later he was an alderman in Modena, regional secretary of the Democratic Party (PD), then regional councilor, and in 2014 he was elected President of Emilia-Romagna Region. Position confirmed in 2020. From 2015 to 2021 he chaired the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces, in Rome, while from 2017 to 2022 he led CEMR, the Council of European Cities and Regions, a body representing more than 100,000 European local and regional authorities. A soccer fan, he is an administrator who is very little “in the palace” and almost always on the ground and among the people, meeting associations and local administrators, businesses and workers.

A nuclear physicist and successful entrepreneur, Stefano started his career working for 10 years with Nobel laureate Carlo Rubbia at CERN and CRS4, in the field of Accelerator Driven Systems and nuclear waste transmutation. In 2002, he founded Advanced Accelerator Applications, listed on NASDAQ until its acquisition by Novartis for $3.9 bn. In 2021, he co-founded and incorporated UK-headquartered nuclear technology company newcleo, of which he is CEO. He is the Chairman of various organisations, and the founder of Elysia Capital, his single family office.

Marilù Capparelli has been Google’s Director of Legal Affairs since 2009.
Marilù Capparelli heads Google’s legal department and leads a team of lawyers operating in several European countries.
Before Google, Marilù Capparelli obtained a PhD in civil law from the University of Bologna where she held the role of adjunct professor, worked as a jurist at the EU Court of Justice, was Director of Legal and Public Policy Affairs at eBay, PayPal and Skype and, in previous years, she worked for important international law firms in Italy, Brussels, London and Washington DC where she dealt with media law and policies and new technologies, corporate and commercial law, M&A, antitrust and international litigation. He is fluent in English, French and Spanish and has a basic knowledge of German.

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In 1998 she joined Umana, in 2007 she became Vice President and, since 2012, President.
She is member of Confindustria’s General Council, member of the Technical Group on Labor, Industrial Relations and Welfare, and of the Technical Group on Education.
She is member of the General Councils of Confindustria Veneto Est, Confindustria Belluno Dolomiti, Unione Industriale Pisana and Assolombarda. She is Vice President of Certottica Group.
She is member of the Steering Council of the Venice World Sustainability Capital Foundation, the Council and the Executive of the Chamber of Commerce of Venice and Rovigo, the Council of Unioncamere Veneto and she is Chief Executive of Camera Servizi.

Mirja Cartia d’Asero has been Managing Director of Gruppo 24 ORE – multimedia company leader in economic, financial, regulatory and cultural information and education – since 27 April 2022 after having served on its Board of Directors.
In less than a year at the 24 ORE Group, she launched the first ESG plan in the company’s history and obtained Gender Equality Certification, first among publishing groups in Italy.
She has gained significant experience of over 25 years in the finance sector with a particular focus in the real estate sector, first as a lawyer and then as a manager and entrepreneur.

In SACE since 2006, she currently holds the position of Head of Dynamic Business Solutions and is responsible for the implementation of Archimede. Graduated in Statistical, Demographic and Actuarial Sciences at La Sapienza University of Rome, after experience in consultancy and banking sector, she held increasing roles in SACE and was responsible for the development of Green New Deal. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of SACE Fct.

Marcello Cattani was Born in Milan in 1971. He is married, with two children and resides in Parma.
He has been President of Farmindustria since July 2022. He has been President and General Manager of Sanofi Italia and Malta since 2020. In over 20 years he has held positions of increasing responsibility at national and international level, with significant experience in several leading global biopharmaceutical companies (Sanofi, Sanofi Genzyme, Bristol Myers Squibb, Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals).
Within Condustria he is member of the General Council as well as of the Technical Life Sciences and Foreign Investment International/ABIE Groups.
Since 2020 he has been a member of the General Council of Assolombarda and of the Board of Directors of Assobiotec.
He is also member of the General Council of Federchimica (2022-2024). Since October 2022 he has been President of Club Santé Italia, which gathers 40 French companies in Italy in the medical-pharmaceutical field.

Executive Chairman and founder of Italo SpA, the first European private high-speed railway company and founder of Itabus, the first Italian private company of long-distance buses, where he have been member of the board until April 2023.
He is also President of Manifatture Sigaro Toscano and of Fondazione Telethon and member of the Board of Directors of Tod’s Group. He has been Chairman and CEO of Ferrari Auto S.p.A. since 1991 until 2014 where he won 19 World Title and Chairman of Fiat Group and of Maserati S.p.A. He has been President of Confindustria, President of LUISS University, Chairman of the Bologna International Trade Fair and Chairman of FIEG, the Italian Federation of Newspapers Publishers. On 2015 he has been inducted in the Automotive Hall of Fame of Detroit, the international most prestigious award of this sector. He was awarded with four Honorary Degrees: in Mechanical Engineering by the University of Modena, in Management Engineering by the University of Genoa, in Industrial Design Engineering by the Polytechnic of Milan and, finally, in Materials Physics by SISSA of Trieste (Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati).

Born in 1983 and raised in Milan, she has graduated with honors in Construction Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano.
She is Technical Director and Managing Director of Borio Mangiarotti Spa, a family construction and real estate development company.
She is currently President of Assimpredil Ance, the Association of Builders of Milan, Lodi, Monza and Brianza and is the first woman elected to that position.
Since March 2022 she is a board member of the Triennale di Milano.
Since September 2022 she is a member of the Board and Council of the Milan Monza Brianza Lodi Chamber of Commerce.
Since October 2022, she is a member of the board of directors of Fiera Milano Spa.

Head of Research and Chief Economist, Intesa Sanpaolo.
President of the Board of Directors of the R&I Foundation.
From 2007 to 2010, Chairman of AIAF. From 2015 to 2018, Chairman of ICCBE.
Graduate at Bocconi Univ., Gregorio is a member of the Chief Economists’ Group of the European Banking Federation. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of a number of economic associations and foundations and of the main Pension Fund of the ISP Group.
Author of many publications in the fields of monetary policy, financial markets, banking and the management of public debt.

Raffaele Fitto is Minister for European Affairs, the South, Cohesion Policies and the PNRR.
In 2000 he became the youngest President of the Region in the history of the Republic. The term of office will end in 2005.
Since 2006 he has been a member of parliament, since 2008 he has also held the position of Minister of Regional Affairs and Local Self-Government in the Berlusconi IV Government. In 2010 he also took over the responsibility for “territorial cohesion”.
He was elected as an MEP in 2014 and 2019.
He was sworn in as Minister of the Meloni Government on 22 October 2022 in the hands of President Mattarella.

Marco Frey, Full Professor of Economics and Business Management, at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa is Vice Rector for the Third Mission and Technology Transfer, coordinates the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Sustainability (SCIC), the Sustainability Laboratory (SuM) of the Institute of Management, and directs the Master in Management and Control of the Environment: Circular economy and efficient management of resources. He teaches courses on sustainability issues at the Catholic University of Milan and at Luiss University in Rome (where he is senior fellow of the Business School).
He is Chairman of the UN Global Compact Network Italy, local network of the UN Global Compact for the dissemination of sustainable development issues; President of the Scientific Committee of Symbola, a Foundation for Italian qualities; Member of the Executive Committee of the Italian Touring Club; Member of the Scientific Committee of CDP Foundation and Vice-President of Minoprio Foundation.

Sally Kimotho- Sawaya, Managing Director of Meru Herbs, exemplifies dedication in the realm of social entrepreneurship.
Her journey is a testament to impactful leadership, driving sustainability and community empowerment through her work. Sally’s academic background, with an MBA in Global Business and Sustainability – Social Entrepreneurship Track from Universita Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore, Milan, underpins her strategic approach to leading Meru Herbs. Her international presentations have not only expanded Meru Herbs reach but have also highlighted the critical role of women in sustainable development and leadership. Sally’s professional ethos, combining innovative market strategies with a commitment to social impact, showcases her as a beacon of professional excellence in social entrepreneurship.Meru Herbs is a model for how businesses can achieve success while fostering community growth and advocating for women’s empowerment.

Director International Affairs Area, Confindustria.
Graduated in Economics and Commerce from the University Federico II of Naples. After working at the Italian Representation in Geneva (WTO), from 2002 to 2006, he held the position of First Secretary-Commercial Counselor at the Embassy of Italy in New Delhi. From 2009 to 2013, he served as Counselor and then First Counselor for the Press at the Permanent Representation of Italy to the EU. From 2013 to 2017, he worked at the Office of the Diplomatic Advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, serving as an Additional Diplomatic Counselor, as of 2015. From 2017 to 2021, he served as Ambassador to
Singapore.
Since October 19, 2023, he is the Director General of Confindustria, where since 2021, he has also served as the Director of the International Affairs Department.

Born in Milan in 1981. She represents the third “perfumed” generation of the Martone family, since 2014 at the helm of
ICR Industrie Cosmetiche Riunite, an Italian family company leader in the development, production and logistics of
fragrances and perfumed cosmetics in the selective segment. The love for perfume is part of her DNA which led her,
after graduating with honors in Economics at Bocconi University, first to New York in Firmenich from 2005 to 2008
for olfactory training and assistance to famous Noses in the creation process of fragrances, and then to Geneva at the
Procter & Gamble headquarters where for 5 years he developed marketing for perfume licenses of luxury brands.
Together with her sister Giorgia she founded the artisanal artistic perfumery brand LabSolue, based on the origins of
Marvin, the family’s historic cosmetics brand, and developed the strategy of the owned 5-star hotel, Magna Pars, the
first and only Hotel à ParfumTM in the world.
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Mario Molteni is the CEO of E4Impact Foundation, Full Professor of Corporate Strategy at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan. He was the founder of ALTIS (Graduate School of Sustainable Management at Catholic University), Sustainability Makers (the Italian association of sustainability professionals) and ALTIS Advisory (a university spin-off for consultancy in Corporate Strategy and Sustainability),  of which he is chairman.
Author of more than 150 publications on Sustainability, Corporate strategy and Entrepreneurship, member od several Scientific Committees, he served as an independent director on the board of Italian listed companies.

Letizia Moratti is President of the Forza Italia National Secretariat Council, a body made up of highly prestigious exponents of political, cultural, professional and social relevance with the task of providing studies, analyses, indications and proposals on the main political issues. She was Vice President of the Executive Board of Lombardy Region and Regional Ministers for Welfare, Mayor of Milan and she obtained the assignment of Expo 2015, Minister for Education, University and Scientific Research and President of RAI- Radio Televisione Italiana. From 2016 to 2020 she was Chairman of the Management Board and then of the Board of Directors of UBI Banca. She is co-founder of the San Patrignano Foundation. She founded and chair E4Impact Foundation, which trains impact entrepreneurs in Africa. She created the Genesis Association, of which she is President, committed to the defence of human rights, through contemporary art. In January 2014 she was awarded, by the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano, the honors of Grande Ufficiale al Merito della Repubblica Italiana.

Emma Petitti, born in Rimini, graduated in Philosophy from the University of Bologna. She is currently President of the Legislative Assembly of the Emilia-Romagna Region after having held the position, in the previous legislature, of Councillor for the Budget, Institutional Reorganisation and Equal Opportunities. In February 2021, she was elected deputy coordinator of the Conference of Presidents of the Legislative Assemblies of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces, with responsibility for equal opportunities and gender issues and was a member of the national leadership of the Partito Democratico.

Giacomo Portas is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Environment Park S.p.A. since July 2023.
He boasts a long career combining corporate and institutional experience.
He has worked in various companies and has managerial positions in marketing and communication. He has also held positions as Director of companies and entities in the area, including COVAR S.p.A., Bioindustry Park S.p.A., CHIND S.p.A. and Ente Parco Mauriziano.
His significant institutional experience has led him to work in various roles in some local administrations and, during his more than five years as a Member of Parliament, to hold important positions, including the Chairmanship of the Bicameral Commission for Tax Registry

Vincenzo Sanasi d’Arpe is a cassation lawyer, teacher and public manager; he’s among the leading Italian experts in the field of extraordinary administration of large companies in crisis. Scholar and supporter of state intervention in the economy, he is extraordinary commissioner, administrator and consultant of public and private multinational groups.
He is President of the World Food Program Italia, having succeeded the former Ambassador to Washington, Giovanni Castellaneta, of whom he was deputy vice-president.
Since 2021 he has led Consap as CEO.

Stakeholder engagement and ESG manager with more than 15 years of experience in envisioning, developing and executing high-level partnership, sustainability and social innovation projects and integrated communication initiatives. Currently Head of ESG engagement and Cultural Heritage at Cassa Depositi e Prestiti – the Italian National Promotional Institution – after leading sustainability, events and sponsorship, internal communication.
Board Member of Valore D, part of the BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network and of the Supervisory board of the Italian Foundation for Business Reporting – Sustainability, Non-Financial and Integrated Reporting (O.I.B.R.). Previously in the leading insurance group AXA, as Head of Corporate Responsibility, Thought leadership & Public Affairs in Italy.
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Annamaria Trovò, Vice President of Fondimpresa, National CISL Manager with responsibility for the Promotion and Management of Bilaterality, degree with honors in political science from the University of Milan, is a Board Member of Mefop SpA, of Health Funds, of Solidarity Funds, entities and Society.
She was national secretary of the CISL metalworkers union, President of the Cometa Pension Fund and of the Metasalute health fund as well as Board Member of the For.Te Fund.

Born in Bologna in 1964, he is a law graduate and entrepreneur who has held the position of CEO of IMA S.p.A. since 1996 and Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2007.
He started working in the company immediately after graduating and, over the years, has developed an industrial model based on teamwork, innovation, and, above all, good relations with the world of work. Environment, sustainability, the social role of business, and solidarity between large and small companies are at the top of his agenda.
In the more than thirty-five years he has worked at IMA, he has been responsible for the growth of the family group, taking it to a high degree of diversification (Pharma, Food, Automation) and launching a vast programme of digitalisation and technological innovation.
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Flavio Valeri is Chairman of Lazard Italy.
Flavio joined Lazard in 2021. In more than 25 years of experience in Capital Markets and M&A, Flavio has worked on 500+ transactions across the Italian and European markets.
Flavio is also Chairman of QuattroR Sgr, Chairman of Gardant and Senior Advisor of Boston Consulting Group.
Prior to joining Lazard, Flavio served as Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Bank Italia from 2008 to 2020; during his tenure, he was also member of Deutsche Bank’s EMEA Executive Committee. He also served as (i) member of the Executive Committee of ABI – Italian Banking Association – from 2010 to 2020, where he was appointed Deputy Chairman in the period 2014-2016 and 2018-2020; and (ii) member of the Executive Committee of AHK Italien from 2013 to 2019, where he also served as Deputy Chairman from 2016 to 2019.
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