Ambassador Vattani was born in Skopje, Macedonia and studied in France, Great Britain and the U. S. He received a degree in Law (1960) and Political Science (1962) from Rome University, summa cum laude.
Through a national competitive exam he entered the “Banca d’Italia” in 1961 and, the following year, the Italian Diplomatic Service.
In his long and very successful career, Amb. Vattani served at the Italian Mission to the U.N., 1963-1965; at Italian Mission to the OECD in Paris, 1966-1969; at the Italian Embassy in London, 1969-1974; in the Cabinet of the Foreign Minister, 1975-1978 and in that of the Prime Minister,1980-1981.
Further stages of his brilliant career were: Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Embassy in London, 1982-1987; Diplomatic Advisor to the Prime Minister and Personal Representative for the G7 Summits, 1988-1992; Italian Ambassador to Germany, 1992-1996; Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1997-2001; Permanent Representative of Italy to the European Union in Brussels, 2001-2004; and again Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,January 2004.
In July 2005 Ambassador Vattani was appointed President of the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade.
Over the years, Amb. Vattani has played a leading role in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in Italian foreign policy, as well as in the European Union.
On a more personal note, I would like to add that I have known Umberto for many years and always admired his incredible energy, his great efficiency and professionalism, his capacity to go straight to the point of any problem, the extraordinary fast pace of all his actions, his intelligence and his thirst for perfection.
He has brought all this long experience and all these qualities to his new interesting role as President of the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, contributing to the success of the institute’s activities.
GEI is very pleased to welcome and honor Amb. Umberto Vattani and to present him with the “GEI FRIENDSHIP AWARD” in recognition of his great accomplishments.
The luncheon was held on January 24, 2008 in the Stella Private Room of Le Cirque restaurant in New York City.